The Prophecy - the Glorfindel Edition
by Annielle
Summary: There is an old prophecy about the rebirth of elven heroes uniting Elves and Men to defeat Sauron once and for all. And Lord Elrond is willing to go to great lengths to ensure that it will take place in his realm, between his captain and the elleth from another world. Will Glorfindel willingly participate in this plan? The Glorfindel version promised to my readers! Glorfindel/OC
1. Chapter 1 - Deception

_Hello Readers! I am glad to be back on fanfiction after a 2-year break._

 _I am publishing today the story I had promised to many, a Glorfindel version of the Prophecy._

 _The main original characters are similar, although I promise that I created a story that is very different from the Haldir and Legolas versions. The creation process was lengthy, but most of the story is already written by now._

 _It is not necessary to have read the other versions to follow the Glorfindel one as I give the necessary background. I received a lot of comments from people who like to compare the versions and I would like to get your feedback on this new angle of the prophecy, now happening in Imladris with our favorite reborn elf._

 _I hope you will enjoy this new journey with me!_

 _Annielle_

* * *

 **The Prophecy - the Glorfindel Edition by Annielle**

 **Summary** : There is an old prophecy about the rebirth of elven heroes uniting Elves and Men to defeat Sauron once and for all. And Lord Elrond is willing to go to great lengths to ensure that it will take place in his realm, between his captain and the elleth from another world. Will Glorfindel willingly participate in this plan?

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Lord of the Rings and any of its characters.

 **Warnings:** Alternate Universe, some content not suitable for minors.

 _When the fiery storm and the elven champion meet,_

 _the Halls of Mandos will release the fëar of the great_

 _Twin warriors, new blood in elven lines_

 _Reborn legends, kings and prince, hope in dark times_

 _For in Men the Eldar must have faith_

 _And unite to accomplish a glorious feat_

 _before they sail to the Undying Lands_

 **Chapter 1 - Deception**

 _Year 2920 of the Third Age_

They had taken many precautions to ensure absolute secrecy. The meeting was being held on the highest terrace of Imladris, one that could only be accessed by a long, tortuous stairway. Three guards were posted at the bottom, ensuring no one would climb the stairs, whether inadvertently or on purpose. The melody of the waterfalls was covering the voices of the elves and prevented the prying into their private business.

Elrond, lord of Imladris, was meeting with Mithrandir and his closest counselors. Secrecy was necessary since their allies could very well declare war for what he was about to do. The subject of the mysterious discussion was the centuries-old prophecy the wizard had found years before in the library of Minas Tirith. Mithrandir had shared it with the rulers of Lothlorien and the lord of Imladris, and Lady Galadriel had looked in her mirror for many long years before the Valar sent her images that would help them initiate the fulfillment of the prophecy.

"The woman chosen by the Valar is from a different world. She will give birth to the reborn elves after she becomes the mate of an elven champion. Three ellyn have appeared in Galadriel's mirror. Prince Legolas of Greenwood, Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien, and Glorfindel," Elrond finished, nodding to the Lord of the Golden Flower, a reborn elf who had died during the fall of Gondolin. He had been tasked by the Valar to protect Elrond's family ans since then, Glorfindel was the captain of Imladris, a respected warrior spending most of his time at the borders of the realm, defending it against the bands of orcs that were attacking them regularly.

"Galadriel wishes to organize a council between our realms and Greenwood, to choose the champion who will marry the naneth of the reborn elflings. The meeting should take place within a year. I suggest that we skip the meeting altogether."

Glorfindel watched his lord with curiosity. "I thought you wanted these elflings to be reborn here." Truth be told, Glorfindel was not very enthusiastic at the thought, but he was open to the idea of having a companion after living in solitude for millennia.

"Exactly my point," Elrond replied with boldness.

"Lord Elrond and I think that Imladris must not miss the opportunity of having the elflings in Imladris," Erestor stated. "We believe we should get the woman in her world, by ourselves, and bring her here. Then, Glorfindel could bind with her before the council takes place."

Glorfindel had been expecting many things, but certainly not this. Mithrandir did not look surprised, so he assumed that Lord Elrond had had this conversation with the wizard before then. In fact, it looked like he was the only one who was hearing about this plan for the first time during this meeting.

"I cannot imagine Lady Galadriel being happy with you if you were to proceed as you intend," he eventually said.

Elrond nodded. Glorfindel was right, his in-laws would be furious if he were to take advantage of the knowledge they had shared with him and beat them to the prize. "I am willing to face the consequences."

"What makes you think that Lady Galadriel is not already aware? That she is not watching this meeting in her mirror as we speak?"

"I am... blinding her," Mithrandir said with unease. "For now. Until we make a decision."

"Why would a wizard take such a stand? Why would you risk your good relationship with Lothlorien in order to help my lord?" Glorfindel asked.

"In Greenwood, King Thranduil would use the woman to his advantage. We would virtually never see the elflings, and we could forget about their presence uniting the elves and mortals of all realms," the wizard reasoned out loud.

"True, but it would not be the case with Lothlorien. You know this," he insisted, glaring at the wizard.

"Yes, you are right. But I feel that Imladris would truly be the best realm for them. Arathorn was raised here like his forefathers, and I cannot imagine anything better to unite Men and Elves than having these elflings be in contact with the Dunedain on a regular basis. It would be the first link, the starting point in the creation of an alliance stronger than under the reign of Ereinion Gil-galad."

Glorfindel stood. "My lords, I perfectly understand your motives," he stated with relative calm and extreme politeness. "But out of fairness for my fellow champions, Haldir and Prince Legolas, whom I respect tremendously, I do not wish to be part of this decision or its execution. Please keep me out of it. I should either travel with you for the council sometime this year... or work with you to alleviate the consequences of any other decision you may take."

He bowed to Lord Elrond and left the terrace. They listened to his steps as he went down the staircase.

"He reacted exactly as I had predicted," Erestor said with a sigh, once Glorfindel was out of earshot. "I wish it had been otherwise. He does not seem too enthused by the prospect of binding with the woman of the prophecy."

"He never met her," Elrond reminded him. "An ellon of such wisdom will never throw himself lightly into a marriage of convenience."

"Galadriel is certain that regardless of the path chosen for that woman, she and her mate will be in love. It will not be a marriage of convenience. The thought is abhorrent to anyone with elven blood since the disaster that was King Thranduil's binding!"

"For Glorfindel, it is a marriage of convenience," Lindir sighed. "I wish he had approved our plan. It means that we have to figure out how to bring the woman back here by ourselves. Without Glorfindel's help, it will be a difficult task."

"I already know how to locate her. She lives in a world that I visited a few times in the past on Valar business. It is not unknown to me. I even speak her language a little, which can only help us," Mithrandir informed them. "But I will need someone with me."

"Your sons?" Erestor asked the lord of Imladris.

"No. They are at the borders until the end of the month. Furthermore, they would not be able to keep Arwen out of the secret, and Galadriel would somehow know about it by channeling the thoughts of one of my children. No, I will have to go with Mithrandir."

"When are we leaving?" the wizard inquired.

"Glorfindel is leaving for the borders tomorrow and will be back in two weeks. If we leave the day after tomorrow, the woman will have plenty of time to settle here. She can welcome him upon his return, and we will see from there."

"Are you sure that she will fall into his arms so easily?" Lindir asked. After all, Glorfindel was very popular with the Imladris ladies, but did not have a known lover. Some said it was because he had grown tired of meaningless relationships, not that the captain had confided in anyone on this subject.

"If Glorfindel cannot bring her to his bed, there is no hope for the other ellyn," Erestor stated. The reborn captain of the guard was mysterious, incredibly handsome with his golden locks in a realm full of dark-haired Noldor. His lethalness in combat was also very attractive to the single ladies of Imladris.

"What of her children?" Mithrandir challenged. The woman in question, in her early thirties, had two children and was currently without a mate. In her world, marriages were broken very easily, with husbands and wives parting ways without ever seeing each other again if children had not been born. The wizard knew that separating a mother from her children was not a decision to be taken lightly, especially if they had no father. In fact, he was convinced that Galadriel had planned all along to bring her children with her to ease her adaptation. The wizard was not so certain that Elrond would be as welcoming. After all, these children were not part of the prophecy.

"They will have to remain there," Elrond sighed. "The Valar know how I hate doing this. But we received information that only she would be granted immortality. The Valar never indicated that her children would also receive such a gift. They would be unhappy in Imladris, surrounded by elves and their now immortal mother while they grow old and never find a companion. It would be best if they remained in their world with the rest of their family."

Mithrandir nodded. Elrond's reasoning also made sense. Only the future would tell if it had been the right decision.

"Then let us plan. We must be ready in two days."

OoOoO

Two weeks later, Glorfindel came back from the northern border with a few warriors. As he led his stallion towards the stables, he noticed the sons of Elrond, who were following him on foot. His former pupils had become deadly warriors under his guidance, and he was very fond of them, even if he rarely showed it. Glorfindel was an ellon with absolute control over his emotions, and only the people who knew him intimately had learned how to read him and received more than the strictest of politeness. Elladan and Elrohir were two of them.

They reached him as he was guiding his warhorse in his usual stall.

"Lord Glorfindel, we are glad to see you came back so early," Elladan said.

"There was no orc activity reported by our scouts. It was very quiet at the borders."

"We are glad to hear that," Elrohir replied. "I wish I could say the same about our fair city."

"What happened?"

"Our adar and Mithrandir... they went to a different world to bring back the woman of the prophecy."

Glorfindel closed his eyes, very annoyed. So they had disregarded his advice and had brought back the stranger that they all expected him to bind himself to.

"Did you know they were planning to do that?" Elrohir asked.

"I had hoped I had convinced them otherwise," he sighed. He turned around to face them. "So? How is she?" The twins had come back from the borders a few days earlier. Surely, they would have seen her by now.

"You see... this is the problem my adar did not anticipate. She spent most of her time since her arrival... in the dungeons," Elrohir said, almost gleefully.

"In the dungeons? Why?"

"You should start from the beginning," Elladan chided his twin brother. "They literally went to her world and dragged her back through a portal. The minute she arrived here, she fell unconscious and started a transformation to become half-elven. It lasted three days. She became immortal, with some elven features she did not have before."

"As per Arwen, she now has slightly pointy ears, and her eternal light shines through her skin..." Elrohir continued.

"Interesting," Glorfindel mused. "I certainly did not expect the Valar to physically change her."

"And then... she woke," Elrohir grinned. "Arwen said the woman was not described as a fiery storm lightly in the prophecy. She was... outraged, violent. Screaming in her own language, that Mithrandir happens to understand a little, demanding to be brought back to her home immediately. She half-destroyed the healing rooms before guards were able to control her!"

"She spent a week in the dungeons, barely eating and drinking. Arwen was able to communicate with her a little, and convinced her that we are not evil. She started eating since then. But she is going through fits of anger and despair..." Elladan added darkly.

"This is a mess. They should have let Lady Galadriel take care of this. Where is the woman right now?"

"She is in a room being guarded at every hour of the day. She tried to escape a few times already, Adar had to place guards under her balcony too."

"I have to see your adar. This is folly. We cannot keep this poor soul trapped here forever. She will fade!"

"He is in his study. Mithrandir needs to leave soon, and they are trying to determine what the next course of action should be. Erestor, Lindir and Arwen are with them."

"Arwen is there? Good. She might bring some feminine insight that Erestor and Lindir certainly do not have! Are you coming with me?"

"Of course! We would never miss this! This has been the best distraction in a long time," Elrohir cried.

Glorfindel glared at his lieutenant.

"What Elrohir truly means," Elladan stated, ever the diplomat, "is that we are facing a challenge that will be interesting to resolve."

"Oh, I am sure this is what he truly meant," Glorfindel icily replied. The difference in maturity of the twins always astounded him. Elladan, his father's heir, was being trained to become the next lord of Imladris, while Elrohir was being groomed to become the captain once Glorfindel left Middle Earth.

They knocked on the door of Elrond's study and entered as soon as permission was granted. They sat and were quickly informed of the most recent events, after Elladan had confirmed having updated Glorfindel on the arrival and first contacts with the woman of the prophecy.

"She is not adapting well at all, Glorfindel," Elrond sighed regretfully.

"The change was rather... abrupt for her. She was simply dragged here and expected to comply to your plans, if I was informed correctly," Glorfindel stated.

"That is the case," Erestor confirmed with a healthy dose of guilt. "We did not expect her to react that way. She is not like the women of Middle Earth. She is nothing like the Dunedain women, or even the women of Rohan or Gondor."

"Her world was much altered since the last time I visited it," Mithrandir admitted. "It has greatly changed in the past hundreds of years, and as a result... her culture, her strength, her character... she is not at all what we had expected."

"What is her name?" Glorfindel asked, to put a name on the now half-elven elleth that was causing such distress to his lord and the wizard. It was not respectful to keep calling her _the woman_.

"Valerie," Arwen replied. "I am the only one who has been able to communicate with her. She is angry with Adar and Mithrandir. She recognizes them as the ones who took her by force from her home and her family."

Glorfindel observed them all with his usual aloofness. They were turning to him, hoping he would have an immediate, miracle solution to their problem. True, he had been identified as a potential mate for the elleth. But it certainly did not give him insight to her soul, nor a way to communicate with her if she did not speak Sindarin, Quenya or Westron.

"Did you start teaching her our language?" he asked Arwen.

"She knows a few words already. Mithrandir improved her language skills upon her arrival. Glorfindel, what do you propose we do?"

He could tell that Arwen was truly distressed. Her avoidance to look at her father indicated that she was disapproving of Elrond's actions. For as far as he could remember, the Evenstar had wanted to know the woman of the prophecy, to become her friend and be part of her life. She was convinced that Men and Elves could be united again by creating a bond of friendship between the Dunedain and the woman who would bring back to life so many elven heroes. And now, her adar might have taken that dream away from her and from all her kin.

"Have a guard bring her here," he sighed. "Then we can decide on a course of action."

"I will go," Arwen volunteered. "I am the only one she trust."

OoOoO

Valerie Thompson woke suddenly when she heard the now familiar sound of hoofbeats on the ground. A company of soldiers had probably arrived in the city. There seemed to be a constant rotation of warriors, with guards leaving and arriving almost every day.

Bored, she stood and walked to her balcony, observing the arrival of ten guards, led by a large warrior she had never seen before. Like the other soldiers, he wore an armor, except that his was gold and silver with a golden sun on his chest. The way he held himself and the reverence of the others surrounding him made her realized that he must be the captain, or general, or whatever they called their war leaders. And unlike most of the males she had seen before in this strange place, this one had long, golden hair. The raven-haired twin males she had seen before from her window followed him in the stables and they disappeared from her view.

She went back to her bed and lied down again. She had spent many days wondering what was happening to her. She had been abducted a little while ago by two men, a black-haired man who was wearing an armor and an old man dressed in a gray threadbare robe and a ridiculous pointy hat.

She was the editor-in-chief of a magazine for young professional women, owned by her family. The magazine had been in trouble for many years before her father John Thompson, founder of a conglomerate of TV channels and magazines, had asked her to take it over and turn it around, something she had done in less than two years.

She was well known in the fashion world, and was friends with many designers and models, one of which had ended becoming, to her parents' dismay, the father of her twins born out of wedlock. It had been no small scandal within her parents' social circle, but she could not care less. Like her sister Allison, she was not interested in a relationship, afraid that it would end like her parents' marriage, who were staying together not to split the vast fortune of the Thompson family. The sisters had had a sad childhood in a loveless household, being raised by nannies rather than by their parents who were both too busy with their lives to truly care about their children.

Her twins were five years old, a girl named Phoebe and a boy called Adam. They were very much into sports and spent numerous hours every week involved in various activities, such as martial arts, soccer and archery. In this last interest, they had common ground with Valerie: she had been a junior champion of archery when she was a teenager.

Valerie grabbed her purse, that her abductors had left in the room where she was now locked, and took out a recent picture of her children. They had inherited her red hair and green eyes, and were very tall for their age. They were smiling as if they were trying to encourage her.

Blinded by her tears, she put the picture in her sleeve to keep it close to her. Would she ever see her kids again? She had been at the party organized for the launch of the Christmas issue of her magazine when, as she had been leaving the reception hall, two men had dragged her through a transparent veil that had been floating in an empty street. She did not remember what had happened next, she only recalled waking up in what looked like a hospital room, surrounded by strange people who spoke to her in a melodious but incomprehensible language. They all had looked at her as if she was the next best thing since the invention of the wheel. She had demanded to have an explanation, and the old man, who spoke a little bit of English, had managed to explain that she was to remain with them for good, that she would never go back home. Why? Why had they taken her? He had not understood her question, and freaking out at the notion that her family might never find her back, she had tried to escape, destroying half the room in her anguish tainted with anger. That had only resulted in a difficult sojourn in what could only be described as a dungeon.

Where was she? What kind of city still had cold, damp dungeons like in the Middle Ages? An extremely beautiful woman had come to see her a few times. Arwen was her name. She was easily the most stunning being Valerie had ever seen. She had noticed how Arwen's clothes were very different from hers, and she started being suspicious that maybe, maybe she had traveled back in time. But during one of her visits, Arwen had worn her sable hair up and Valerie had realized that her visitor had pointy ears. She had stared at them for a while, and Arwen had realized that Valerie had just noticed for the first time that she no longer was with mortals.

Convinced that she was doing the right thing, Arwen had given Valerie a small mirror and shown her that her own ears had changed shape too. Without being as pointy as Arwen's, her ears were no longer round. Valerie also noticed that her skin seemed different, glowing slightly even in the semi-darkness of her prison cell. To make matters worse, she had realized that she could see much better than before and could hear sounds outside of the dungeons while she should not, the thickness of the stone walls being too great.

"What did you people do to me?" she had asked. Without fully understanding her question, Arwen had gestured between Valerie and herself to indicate that they were now similar beings.

Valerie had been shattered. It was an additional confirmation that she would never go back home. She had been physically changed, as a lab animal used in tests, and by people who seemed to think treating her that way was acceptable, normal. She had fallen into a prostrate state for a few hours.

That evening, guards had brought her to a room where she had stayed since then. She had tried to escape by the balcony during the first night, but she had been caught by a guard who had brought her back to her room. Since then, she had had guards at her door and under her balcony at all times. She could see that the city was beautiful, with an immense waterfall in the back and smaller houses near the three-stories high manor that seemed to be at the center of the city. Stairs and bridges were connecting many terraces all over the city. There were no asphalt or cars, there was no electricity and no heating in her room while the autumn nights were getting cold. She truly felt like she was now in the Middle Ages, or at least, in a city with a way of life from centuries before, like the Amish communities.

She lied in the bed, staring at the ceiling while trying to keep warm using the thin blanket on her bed. There were no glass windows here, and the wind was making the curtains flow in the dimming light of twilight. As far as she could tell, she was the only one who felt the cold in this manor, since Arwen was visiting her with sleeveless long dresses almost everyday and was never shivering or having goose bumps. So were the servants bringing her food and bath water. It was unsettling to say the least.

Valerie had refused to wear the gowns the servants were bringing every day, hoping to make a statement that she was not one of them, and that she never would. Maybe if they saw she was being difficult, they would send her back? At a loss about what to do with her, Arwen had asked servants to wash every night the dress she had been wearing at the magazine's party when she had been abducted. It was a silver cocktail dress, with long sleeves but short in length as compared to the standards of Imladris, the name of the city she had been taken to. She knew this because of the bulging eyes of everyone seeing her legs up to her mid-thighs. Maybe the silvery high-heeled sandals were difficult for them to take too? Quite frankly, she cared not.

There was a soft knock on her door, and Valerie assumed that Arwen was coming to visit her again. But instead of sitting on a chair near the bed like she usually did, Arwen invited her to follow her to her father's study. Arwen even asked if she would finally change her dress, but seeing Valerie's smirk, she did not insist, only sighing in disappointment.

Valerie was learning their language quickly, and could now have simple conversations with Arwen. She had not shown any interest in speaking with anyone else, especially not with Arwen's father and the old man who had participated in her kidnapping. The servants were not addressing her, scared of her temper since she had half-destroyed the healing rooms.

Arwen led her to the study through a few hallways with numerous paintings of elves, all dazzling and serious looking. When Valerie was introduced, there were a few men she had seen before, Arwen's father and two of his counselors, and the old man wearing clothes that had seen better days. To her surprise, there were three new additions she was seeing for the first time. Arwen introduced her twin brothers, who were inelegantly gaping at her, marring their otherwise incredible comeliness. She knew her appearance was very different. First, even if everyone here had long hair, even the males, no one seemed to have soft curls like hers. Furthermore, auburn hair shining like fire under the light seemed to be an absolute rarity, if she were to trust everyone's gaze. But that was when they first saw her. Then, they analyzed her face, her piercing emerald eyes, the curves of her body and... her long, naked legs barely covered by her modern dress. The eyes of Arwen's brothers had followed the same path than everyone else's had done before. But not the third man, the one she guessed was the captain of Imladris.

His blue eyes were set on her face, and she could not read his thoughts at all. His expression was neutral, as if he was indifferent about her, about her fate. He was even more impressive from up close. One could feel that he was important just by the way the others looked at him with deference. She knew Arwen's father was the lord of this strange city, but his captain was obviously his second-in-command, even more so than the other two men called Erestor and Lindir. The captain's eyes were the most attractive part of his face. They were serious and seemed to contain so much wisdom, which was very strange in such a young face. She didn't know how or why, but she knew instinctively that this man had greatly suffered, that he was still very tormented even if he seemed indifferent to what was happening around him.

"Valerie, may I present you Lord Glorfindel, the captain of our guard."

Valerie didn't quite catch his name in the sentence, but nodded when he nodded haughtily.

She turned to the old man who spoke a bit of English. She knew his name was Mithrandir.

"Mithrandir, I still have no idea why I was brought here, and I was wondering when you were planning to send me back home. May I remind you that you are holding me against my will? You had no right to take me. I demand that you take me back home immediately!"

Everyone looked at the wizard, wondering what she had said to him in her language, but he seemed not to have understood what she had said. She had spoken too quickly, but despite this, her tone and expression indicated that she was making a demand and that she was still not happy with the situation.

Sensing that the old man didn't understand her, she looked around the room for help, but everyone looked puzzled but the captain, who still had a neutral if not bored expression.

A cold breeze made her shiver. She heard papers slide off a desk further away. She looked around again and saw that there was some painting material in a corner of the study, with a half completed portrait of a woman she had never seen yet.

"Can I use this?" she asked in her tentative Sindarin to Lord Elrond, the presumed rightful owner of the material she wanted to use.

He nodded, wondering what she would do with the paint. He prayed that she would not go anywhere near the painting of Celebrian he had started a few weeks back. But thankfully, she remained far from the painting of his beloved, and just took some blue and white colors and painted something on a parchment before coming back to them.

She showed them a representation of the portal that Mithrandir had created, while repeating the same words to the wizard.

"She wants to go home. She wants me to reopen the portal," he told them in Sindarin. "Sorry, I cannot," he replied to Valerie in English.

"Am I your prisoner?" she asked, but once again, it was a word he didn't understand. She went to the table once more, and this time, used some black, red and beige paint.

Very quickly, she painted an image that was very telling. Arwen's heart broke when she saw what Valerie had painted. It definitely was a shape with long, red hair, behind the black bars of a prison.

"Am I your prisoner?" she asked Mithrandir again.

"No," he cried, the sound similar in Sindarin and English. "Oh Valar, she thinks she is a prisoner!"

Valerie lifted her first painting, showing the portal once more. "Home?" she said, having caught the word in the elvish language.

"No."

"Prisoner?" she asked again in Sindarin. She was learning very quickly. She only had to hear a word once in order to retain it for good, thanks to the wizard.

"No."

"This doesn't make sense!" she cried in English. "Either I am your prisoner or you send me back home!"

She shivered again when another chilly breeze entered the office. What would it be once it was winter in this manor without windows? She would eventually have to accept warmer clothes if she didn't want to be found frozen to death in her bed one morning.

Valerie heard the voice of the captain for the first time, as he was talking to Arwen. A deep, melodious voice that inexplicably made her heart beat faster.

"You are cold?" Arwen asked Valerie with surprise, as if it was inconceivable. "Can you really feel the cold?"

When Valerie didn't answer, the unfamiliar word having no meaning yet for her, Arwen stood and touched her hands and face. She immediately called a servant and spoke a few words to her before trying to engulf Valerie into a warm hug. Valerie moved away to avoid the embrace, and Arwen went back to her seat, obviously hurt by Valerie's reaction.

Valerie wondered if they were aware that she had children to go back to. After all, she had not been with them when they had taken her. She pulled the picture of her children from her sleeve and put it in front of the lord of Imladris.

"I have two children," she told him in English. "I need to go home. They need me!"

The lord looked fascinated by the picture itself at first, before he got her meaning. She could read in his eyes that he understood perfectly well what she was saying. He sadly shook his head and gave her back the picture.

A servant entered and put a warm cloak on her shoulders, and it gave her a little distraction in the state of distress she was in. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop the tears. She was trapped. She was a prisoner even if they claimed she was not, and they would never return her home. She had nothing left to do here today. She wanted to go back to her deluxe prison cell and be alone to cry herself to sleep. She needed time to think. Maybe she could find another way to escape? She furiously wiped her tears and asked Arwen to bring her back to her room. The elleth looked at her father, who granted permission for her to leave.

Arwen took Valerie's arm and pulled her out of the study. Once they were gone, everyone turned to Glorfindel to get his first impression.

"She is definitely a sight for the sore eye," Elrohir told everyone. "That hair! Those legs!"

"Elrohir! Please refrain from talking if you have nothing wiser to say," his adar chided while Elladan almost choked with laughter.

"What do you think?" Erestor asked Glorfindel, who simply stood to look at them all.

In reality, his emotions were all over the place. It had been a while since an elleth had raised his interest in such a way. Her looks had not been what he had expected. She was very different than an elleth, in a most pleasing way. Everything about her was attracting him, even if he had spent most of the audience just looking at her eyes. He had been touched by her struggle to communicate with them, by her pleas to send her back to her children. He had not even known that she had elflings, but leaving them behind had definitely been a mistake. She would never remain peacefully in Imladris unless her children were with her.

"Give her more freedom," he replied with false detachment. He left the study without a look back, eager to be alone in his apartment. They had put Valerie in a room close to his, as if it would help create a connection between them. They did not even realize that the last thing she would want was to start a relationship with anyone. He stopped before her door and heard Arwen's voice quietly talking to the half-elven elleth. He listened to the conversation until her heard that Arwen was about to take her leave.

"I am sorry," she was telling Valerie in Sindarin. "You are a good elleth. I swear that you will be happy here. I want to be your friend. I will take care of you, this I promise solemnly."

It was not the first time that Arwen was pronouncing the word mellon in her language. Valerie knew by now that Arwen was asking her to be her friend. She seemed like a nice woman, although she was a little on the naive side. Could she use this naivete for her own purpose? Her priority was, and would always remain, to escape as soon as possible. If she acted like she had accepted her fate for a few weeks, they would lessen their vigilance, and maybe she would find a way to leave. She wondered in which country she currently was. Was there a major city close by? Could she reach it on foot, or did she need to steal a horse? All good questions that Arwen would answer without realizing what Valerie was doing.

"Yes, want friends," she said in her basic Sindarin.

* * *

 _AN: So, what did you think of the beginning of this version?_


	2. Chapter 2 - Escape

A big thank you to all the readers who have left a review. Many of you share the opinion that Elrond and Mithrandir were wrong to leave her children behind, and in this next chapter, you will see that it is not a decision that Valerie cannot accept either. But not before she realizes that Middle Earth is not located in her own world...

* * *

 _The first chapter ended with:_

 _Her priority was, and would always remain, to escape as soon as possible. If she acted like she had accepted her fate for a few weeks, they would lessen their vigilance, and maybe she would find a way to leave. She wondered in which country she currently was. Was there a major city close by? Could she reach it on foot, or did she need to steal a horse? All good questions that Arwen would answer without realizing what Valerie was doing._

" _Yes, want friends," she said in her basic Sindarin._

 **Chapter 2 - Escape**

Two months later, Valerie's friendship with Arwen had greatly deepened, just as much as her guilt had grown. She truly liked Elrond's daughter, who was a pleasant companion. Arwen was always making sure that Valerie was comfortable, even giving her a new apartment in the center of the manor, a room without drafty openings and with a fireplace usually reserved for what the elves called the _mortals_. Arwen had spent long hours explaining that elves were different, eternal beings, and that she was now half-way between an elf and a human, immortality included. She would forever look younger than 30. Valerie did not believe her. She would have believed that half the people on Earth were aliens and the other half robots before believing in her own immortality.

Together, they rode many times a week, and the stable master had reserved a horse just for Valerie, since she was riding regularly. It was a black mare called Arrna, the Sindarin equivalent of the word _raven_ in English. Arwen had informed Valerie about the regions where they could ride safely, the locations of all the posts at the borders, and the unguarded regions where she should never go if she wanted to be safe. Of course, these were the regions where Valerie was planning to escape once she was done preparing her plan.

As she had practiced archery as a teenager, she had been going to the practice field at least twice a week. Her presence had caused quite a commotion the first time she had trained. Never in Imladris had an elleth practiced archery. This society raised ellith to be accomplished housewives or great artists, educated and sophisticated, the support system of a realm mainly comprised of warriors and scholars. Seeing one holding a deadly weapon had shocked the warriors, and they had stopped their practice and had stared at Valerie, most of them believing that she would ridicule herself. And it had almost happened. Realizing that her stance indicated an experienced archer, Elladan had come to her help when he had noticed that she struggled with the warrior bows. She had explained that in her world, wooden bows were rarely used and had been replaced by metal bows. He had shown her how to adjust her technique and found a smaller bow for her. After a month, she had reached a level of expertise she had never attained before, with her improved eyesight and aim. The warriors mostly left her alone now, and sometimes, Arwen was sitting near the practice field to watch her friend, an envious expression on her stunning face.

Valerie thought she would escape within the week, if she could find enough courage to execute the plan. And in the meantime, she was taking advantage of Arwen and was not pleased with herself. Not at all. But it was her plan, her only plan, and she had been unable to come up with a plan B in the past two months. Her plan was simple. One day, she would simply tell the stable master that she would ride alone, as she had already done twice in the past weeks, and she would leave Imladris for an unguarded region, pass the borders and just ride as fast as she could to a nearby town. Arwen had told her there were no towns near their city, but she didn't believe her. Imladris could not be the only town in the area! It must have been a lie to keep a relatively free prisoner quiet.

On the day of her escape, Valerie would steal a tunic and a pair of leggings in one of the twins' rooms, since Arwen and the other ladies only wore long, elegant gowns. Valerie had finally accepted to wear elven dresses, and had realized that people in the city were watching her with less suspicion when she dressed as per their traditions. She would also take her bow, since there always seemed to be some danger in the area. The guards were always on watch at the borders, protecting them from animals called orcs. She had no idea what orcs were, Arwen had never shown her a drawing, but the elleth seemed terrified by them. Then again, Arwen didn't seem like a courageous elleth, and probably exaggerated the threat.

Valerie was ready to leave, she knew it. She could leave any day now. She was afraid of the unknown, but she could not stay, even if Arwen and her brothers were trying to make her sojourn more interesting. She had to go back to her children. Phoebe and Adam needed her. Where were they right now? Who was taking care of them? Were they hungry, were they cold? Was someone giving them the love they needed? Torturing questions that kept her awake at night, worrying for their safety and well-being. Returning back to them was her utmost priority. That night, as she was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she decided that she would leave the next day. The wait was intolerable.

OoOoO

Glorfindel was on the training grounds with the twins when Arwen joined them, breathless and frantic. She looked around, her eyes wild with worry, but she didn't seem to find what she was looking for.

"Have you seen Valerie?" she asked her brothers. "I thought she might be here, training with you."

"We have not seen her yet today," Elladan informed her.

"Maybe she went riding," Glorfindel guessed, his eyes never leaving the target. His arrow flew and hit it right in the center. "The stable master told me she started riding alone."

"Maybe she did, but usually, she tells me of her intentions in advance. She did not this time."

"She probably forgot. Did you tell her where to ride safely?"

"Yes. I told her where we have posts, and where we do not."

"You did what?" Glorfindel asked, turning to look at Arwen with incredulity.

"She told Valerie where she can ride safely," Elladan said.

"She also told her exactly where to go if she wanted to escape!"

"Glorfindel has a point," Elrohir admitted. "I will go check if she left for a ride or not." He gave his bow and quiver to his twin and ran in the direction of the stables at great speed.

"I just wanted her to be safe! She will probably be back in a little while, and will call me silly for having worried so much. I know that. I know her," Arwen said, trying to convince herself.

Glorfindel and Elladan exchanged a glance. Arwen was fooling herself if she thought Valerie was an unresourceful elleth. If she had given her that much information, Valerie would use it. It was only a question of time. They should never have left her in Arwen's care. Valerie should have been under the responsibility of a warrior or a strong scholar, at least.

Elrohir soon came back and confirmed that Valerie had left with her mare Arrna, more than six hours before.

"If she is not back before dinner, we will go look for her," Glorfindel stated. "Elladan, Elrohir, you will ride with me."

Valerie had been riding for hours in a dense forest, and she now had to admit to herself that she was completely lost. She no longer knew if she was running in circles or still going straight. It was getting cold and dark, and she had no idea where she was. She continued riding until she started seeing a light through the trees. People, at last! She dismounted and lead Arrna in that direction, making no noise to make sure she would approach these people in her own terms. She soon realized that she was close to a clearing, and that the light she had seen was in fact a fire around which some people were loudly talking.

Finally! People she could talk to, people who might be able to help her! She tied the bridle of her horse to a tree and walked closer to the clearing in complete silence. She did not recognize the language these people were speaking, and their voices were very guttural. Their shapes were also very strange, they seemed like bulky, hunched men.

To avoid being seen, she climbed a tree and watched the group from a higher point. What were these... things? Horrified, she watched what she could only describe as _creatures_. They were deformed beings, with dark and slimy skin and razor sharp teeth. Their smell was horrendous, carried by the wind blowing in her direction. They were cooking something, and she almost vomited when she realized that near the fire was the dismembered body of one of them. Some pieces were being thrown into the fire for consumption while others parts were being eaten raw. Whatever they were, they were cannibals!

Where was she? This was unreal! These creatures simply could not exist. Did it mean that Arwen was not lying when she said that the people in Imladris were immortal elves? Did Elrond and Mithrandir truly take her to a whole different world? In that case, leaving the city had been stupid, there was no way she could go back to her children if they were in a different world! And now, she was lost in a forest, close to a bunch of monsters. What would they do to her if they found out she was watching them? She had no doubt that she would finish like that poor fellow near the fire, dismembered, being eaten as a delicacy by horrific beasts!

"Monsters do not exist! It must be a nightmare," she mumbled to herself in Sindarin - speaking that new language was almost like a second nature now. "Wake up, Val!"

But she was awake, and there were some monsters right in front of her. She had to leave, go back to Imladris. She could not travel around with creatures like that in the wild. At least, in Imladris, the borders were protected by the captain and his warriors, and she would be safe.

Her next challenge would be to find her way back to the city.

She was about to climb down from the tree when she heard one monster talk to the others, and they all turned in her direction, smelling the air very loudly like dogs. Oh God, no! The direction of the wind had changed! Could they really smell her? It seemed that they did, because one of them stood and started walking in her direction, still smelling the air. She took out her bow and nocked an arrow, her heart pacing wildly. She took a few deep breaths, the coldness of the night completely forgotten while her survival instincts kicked in.

"Should I shoot them or flee?" There were six creatures, and she never had shot anything alive, Valar, she had never even shot a moving target! Chances were she would get herself killed, and so would her valiant mare. "Come on, you are old enough not to be scared by some nasty, smelly monsters," she murmured to herself, aiming at the approaching creature.

She suddenly felt a warm hand on her mouth, muffling her squeal of terror.

"I heard you are only 30. This is very, very young to be facing nasty, smelly monsters," a deep voice whispered in her ear, making her shiver. She didn't have to look around to know that it was Captain Glorfindel who was applying his hand on her mouth. She had only seen him from afar since the audience where she had met him for the first time, and they had never spoken to each other, but she was relieved to see him there, protecting her. She saw a flash in the nearest tree and saw that the twins were there also, bows ready.

Glorfindel removed his hand from her mouth. "You want to kill some monsters?" he asked with curiosity. Would she ever cease to amaze him?

"Yes. No. I do not know." Valerie looked at the six creatures who where now walking in their direction.

"Which one will you choose? Decide quickly before they get here!"

"I do not know! The last one?"

A moment later, Glorfindel was shooting one of the beasts despite the fact that Valerie was leaning against his chest. The arrow hit its neck, jets of thick, black blood came out and the monster heavily fell backwards. The twins killed the others but one. The last one standing was trying to locate the origin of the arrows. "Go ahead! Kill him," the captain murmured in her ear. She felt like this was some kind of test. Would the elleth who practiced archery be courageous enough to kill a monster? His warm breath made her shiver again. She would show the warrior that she was no coward! She aimed carefully and released her arrow. It hit the beast right in the forehead. It fell to the ground, dead. Valerie stared at the body, unable to believe she had killed a living being, even if it was despicable.

"Congratulations on your first kill," Glorfindel said.

The twins smiled to her from their tree. She leaned back against the captain's chest, his arm around her waist making her feel safe while she started shaking.

"What were these monsters?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Orcs," one of the twins replied.

"They cannot exist! Monsters do not exist!" she insisted loudly. "They were not real!"

"In Middle Earth, monsters exist. They are called orcs, goblins, balrogs... But there are also mortals, dwarves and elves. And wizards, who can take a woman from another world and bring her here, where she can become an elf." Glorfindel had answered her, still holder her against his chest while she started realizing the mess she had gotten herself into.

"Why? Why did Mithrandir do that? Why me?"

"Arwen never told you?" Glorfindel asked, bewildered.

"They wanted you to tell her," one of the twins told him. In the dark, she could not identify him. Their voices and shadows were too similar.

Glorfindel rolled his eyes. "My Lady, I promise that I will tell you later, once we have burned the carcasses of these orcs."

He helped her climb down and she sat, leaning against the hard tree bark of an oak, enveloping herself in her cloak to try to stay warm while the ellyn were burning the orcs. She soon fell asleep, exhausted, despite the foul smell of the dark smoke.

She woke in the middle of the night, shivering on the freezing ground. The twins were sleeping nearby but the captain was on night watch.

"Are you cold?" he whispered. She nodded. "I am sorry, we cannot build another fire. There are bands of orcs roaming in the valley during the night."

She rolled herself in her cloak, trying to stay warm, but with very little success. She felt something cold touch her cheek and touched it with her hand. It immediately became a water drop. It was snowing! Snow flakes were falling here and there, and it reminded her that her children always liked the first snow of the year. They used to run around with their tongues out, trying to catch snow flakes and counting how many they had caught... With a heavy heart, she closed her eyes, knowing perfectly well that unlike Elladan and Elrohir, she would not be able to sleep, especially when the temperature was below the freezing point.

Glorfindel pensively watched her shiver in her cloak for a long time. It was too bad for her that she could feel the cold and suffer from it. There was one easy solution, but he knew it was completely and utterly inappropriate. It was an intimacy that was not acceptable between an ellon and an elleth who barely knew each other. He kept observing her until he could no longer tolerate her shivers, worry for her health overcoming his sense of propriety. If she could be cold, maybe she could get sick, and he would never forgive himself if it happened while she was under his protection!

"Lady Valerie?" he called softly to draw her attention. "Come here," he offered kindly, opening his arms to her.

She stared at him, surprised by his unhoped-for offer. But at this point, she was so cold that she no longer cared about appropriateness. Even if Glorfindel had been her worst enemy, she would have accepted his offer. She stood and walked to him with uncertainty, unsure of what to do, and he pulled her down to sit on his lap, her right side against his chest and her forehead against his neck. She tried to find a comfortable position for the both of them, afraid he would find her heavy. Once she was cozy, he covered them with his cloak and she immediately felt his warmth. She could not repress the sigh of relief and happiness that escaped her lips. He chuckled and leaned his head against the tree trunk, still watching the forest around them for potential threats, never letting his guard down.

"Will you tell me why they brought me here?" she whispered once she was no longer cold and had stopped shivering in his arms.

He sighed heavily. "What do you know of the history of Middle Earth?"

"Very little. I must admit... I did not pay much attention when Arwen was telling me about it. It looked like a fairy tale, and I was not... planning to stay here, to be quite honest."

"And now?"

"Now, I know whatever she said is real. I am ready to listen. I must understand what they put me into."

"An age ago, a fallen Maia tried to destroy all that is good in Middle Earth."

"What is a Maia?"

"A god. This particular one was named Sauron. An alliance of elves and men defeated him during the Second Age, but at great cost. Many lives were lost, elven and human, and many of our kings and lords disappeared in a great battle after a war that lasted for seven years. We thought we had won, but some wonder if he has been truly defeated, for an age later, a dark power is rising again, and all races may be in danger once more. A dragon from the North took possession of the Lonely Mountain 150 years ago, killing both Men and Dwarves, warriors, women and children alike, destroying an entire city, just to steal their treasures of gold and gems. This event could mean nothing in itself, if we had not seen more orcs and goblins in the recent years than we have seen in the past thousand years. The mountain pass is not safe again. Something evil is at work, I can feel it my fëa," he said pensively. He looked at her, decided to give her more details to help her understand. "This time, men and elves are no longer allies. No realm is truly allied to another, even within our elven kin. There is an elven realm in Greenwood, and we barely have had communications with them in the past centuries. The elves of Mithlond are staying West, and only care about building ships to go to Valinor. Imladris and Lothlorien are regularly attacked by orcs. As for the mortals, the people of Rohan, Gondor and Lake-town have very little interactions together, and even less with the elves."

"I have heard of Valinor. Arwen told me that many people sail over there. It is a land of peace. Why do you not all sail there?"

"Many elves were born here, in Middle Earth. This is their home. They do not want darkness to destroy it. Furthermore, many of us do not want to leave the mortals to die gruesomely. And we think that if a dark spirit, Sauron or any other, wins here, he will eventually bring war upon Valinor. They will find the way, Sauron would know it best, since he comes from there. No, we need to defeat the evil spirits here. In Middle Earth."

"This is all very interesting, but... what does it have to do with me? Why am I concerned by this? I can surely not help you in a war against evil!"

"You are wrong. Mithrandir found a long time ago a prophecy about a mortal woman who will become the mate of a great elf, and give birth to reborn elves from all realms. The birth of these elven legends will force all elves to unite. Furthermore, this woman will create alliances with the realms of the mortals."

"He thinks it is me?" she asked, moving away from his chest to look at him in the eye.

"We _know_ it is you. You have been identified with certainty."

"Identified? By whom?"

"By Lady Galadriel, Lady Arwen's grandmother. She is the ruler of Lothlorien, and a great witch."

"Why me? I have nothing special!"

"You are very special, Lady Valerie Thompson."

"I am no lady!"

"Yes, you are," he insisted, pulling her head against his neck again to avoid looking at her. Her emerald eyes, so expressive, so beautiful, even in the dark... "You will become one of the most prominent ellith of Middle Earth, revered by all."

"I am telling you, you have the wrong woman!" she snorted. "Who am I supposed to marry by the way?"

"There are three potential mates for you."

"Do I get to choose?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yes, you do. There will be a meeting where you will meet them."

"Do not even tell me who they are! I am not getting into a marriage of convenience, organized by some old wizard who could not mind his own business!"

"As you wish. Try to sleep. You are exhausted."

"Lord Glorfindel?" she asked after a little while. She simply could not sleep, with all the information he had given her.

"Yes?"

"Elves are reborn?"

"Elves are immortal beings. If an elf dies because of a mortal injury, his fëa goes to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor, and after a sufficient amount of time of reflection about his life, he is released from the Halls and reborn."

"Are there a lot of reborn elves?"

"In Valinor, yes. In Middle Earth? There is currently just one."

"Do you know him?"

"Yes."

"Who is it? Do I know him?" she asked with curiosity.

"Yes, you know him. It is I."

"Truly?" she asked. She was about to ask another question when she realized Glorfindel's tone did not invite further questioning. She changed the subject altogether. "I am really stuck here, in Middle Earth?"

"I am afraid you are. There is no going back. I am sorry."

They remained silent for another while.

"Lord Glorfindel? Do you think... that maybe... Mithrandir could bring my children here?"

He remained silent.

"Captain?"

"I am curious to know how you came up with this strange idea?"

"I miss them terribly. I wonder who is taking care of them while I am away. Probably my sister Allison. But... I am their mother. I am the best one to take care of them. I figured... if I cannot go back to them, maybe they should come to me? Do you think Lord Elrond would allow it?"

"I admit that I have no idea. I am one of his counselors, but he does not confide in me on all subjects."

"Do you think they would become half-elves like me?" she said, touching one of her now pointy ears.

"This is much beyond my knowledge. I do not know the will of the Valar."

"Would you please speak to Lord Elrond? About getting my children here?"

"Why me?"

"Why not?"

He snorted. It was the first time that he was losing his serious mask with her.

"I cannot speak to him," she pleaded. "I am angry with him, and he despises me."

"He does not. He does not know how to deal with you. You are different, _very_ different."

"I am sorry if I am not meeting the high standards of the elves."

"I did not mean it like that. You are... interestingly different. Entertaining."

"Right. So... you will speak to him?"

"I will. Sleep now. I am growing tired of your verbiage."

"I thought I was entertaining?" she mumbled sleepily.

He knew the moment she was asleep. He listened to her heartbeat for a long time. She was his only and constant temptation. The moment he had seen her, he had been enthralled, he had wanted her. This was beyond his comprehension. He had never spoken to her before today, but he would have bound himself to her nevertheless. If he ever had had doubts about the prophecy, he had lost them after seeing her in Elrond's study months ago. He wondered if Haldir and Prince Legolas would feel the same when they would see her at the gathering. He was such an ellon of principles, he truly believed that all three of them should have the same chance of marrying her. Out of fairness, to avoid the temptation, he had remained away, never seeing her, never talking to her.

Until she had disappeared earlier that day. They had followed her tracks, praying the Valar that they would find her safe and sound. They located her more easily than expected, although the fact that she had been about to be attacked by orcs had been upsetting to say the least. He had climbed that tree faster than a lightning and had protectively wrapped his arms around her. Only then had he been able to compose himself.

And now, she was sleeping in his arms. A temptation. He quickly looked at Elladan and Elrohir, who were sleeping close by. They would not see a thing.

He leaned his head closer to hers and inhaled the scent of her hair. Heavenly... He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, until the next pull struck. He touched a lock of her hair. It was thick but soft, curly... His attention was caught by the ear she had touched before. Not round like a mortal's, but not as pointy as an elf's. He was able to repress the desire to touch her skin. He could have woken her up!

If she were to choose Prince Legolas or Haldir, he would regret it for the rest of his eternal life. He would never mate with anyone. Ever. She was the one. His fëa-mate.

"Captain?"

Glorfindel's attention went back to Elrohir, who was now awake. Had he seen him touch the elleth's hair? Did he realize the ordeal he was going through?

"You can sleep a little, I will take over the night watch. If you can sleep," he said, eying Valerie. "She was cold?" he correctly guessed.

"Yes. It is not practical that she feels the cold in such a way," he said evenly.

"You want me to keep her warm?" Elrohir offered with a grin.

"It would wake her up. No, I will try to sleep like this." He was able to keep a straight face while he felt like punching his lord's son and former pupil. He closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.

Valerie was awoken by a soft moan near her. Glorfindel moved his head from one side to the other, and moaned again. This time, she heard him say the word _fire_ in his sleep. His breathing accelerated, and he started trashing more violently. Valerie tried to move away from him, and he suddenly woke up, crushing her shoulders with his strong grip.

"Lord Glorfindel! You are hurting me!"

For an instant, she saw terror in his eyes, but he immediately regained control and let her shoulders go.

"I am sorry," he said, and after pushing her gently, he stood and left the clearing without a look back.

"What was that?" she asked Elrohir. Elladan was also awake now.

"Nightmares. Few people are aware of his constant torment. The captain usually does not sleep unless he is with close friends like us, or with my father."

"What is he dreaming about?"

"This is not for us to tell," Elladan said quickly to stop his twin brother, who had been about to reveal one of Glorfindel's secrets to Valerie. "It is time to leave, go back to Imladris. My adar and sister must be extremely worried by now."

"They will be angry with me," Valerie guessed. "You think I will go back to the dungeons?" she asked, already shivering at the idea of spending time in the cold, humid prison cell during the winter.

"You will never go back there," Glorfindel's voice said behind her. "Never," he repeated, watching her intently.

She knew she could trust him.

* * *

A/N: in the next chapter, Glorfindel will risk his life to give Valerie what she has been wishing for...


	3. Chapter 3 - Reunions

Hello readers, I wanted to take a few moments to answer some of the questions I have received about the story – in case you also had the same but never asked.

LadyLindariel: I do love Arwen very much. But I had to find a character that Valerie could take advantage of, and I thought that an elleth that had been overprotected between her father and grandparents would be defenseless in front of a modern mother determined to get her children back. Arwen is the only feminine character of importance in Imladris since her mother left for Valinor. Arwen and Valerie will reconcile in the next chapters, you will see in this next chapter…

earthdragon: I made some research on Lindir as I was writing. Some believe he was a minstrel because his name means _sing_ , but others mention that he may have been the steward of Imladris and Elrond's right hand, at least in the movies. I thought that between Glorfindel, Erestor and Lindir, Elrond would have a great team of counselors. Not that their first decision in the story reflects that, but the situation will be fixed!

Blake2.1: the reactions of Haldir and Legolas to Valerie will be in a few chapters, soon to be published. A lot will happen at that meeting, keep following the story!

Aralinn: Your speculation about Glorfindel will be verified in a few chapters, some of it in this 3rd chapter.

Helenaalana: thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake of the word goblin!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Annielle

* * *

 _The chapter 2 ended with:_

" _You think I will go back to the dungeons?" she asked, already shivering at the idea of spending time in the cold, humid prison cell during the winter._

" _You will never go back there," Glorfindel's voice said behind her. "Never," he repeated, watching her intently._

 _She knew she could trust him._

 **Chapter 3 - Reunions**

A few weeks later, Mithrandir came back from a journey in the North. He looked pleased with his accomplishments over there, and told everyone that the Dunedain rangers would soon visit Imladris. Their leader, Arathorn, had been raised in Imladris like his forefathers. Valerie wanted to ask the wizard why the men of this line were raised with the elves, but he was called in Elrond's study, where he spent almost all day with the lord and his counselors Erestor and Lindir.

Glorfindel was not in the city at the moment, but Valerie prayed that the captain had transmitted her request to the lord of Imladris, and that it was the subject being discussed during that meeting with Mithrandir. Arwen remained silent on the matter, despite her constant inquiries. The elleth had sulked for a few days after realizing that Valerie had used her to get information for her escape, but had forgiven her quickly after Valerie had explained that she had tried to leave only to find a way to get back to her children. Arwen had understood her despair, and had promised to help in convincing her father to get Valerie's children in her world. But she had not talked about it afterward, and Valerie was unsure of the progress of her case. Should she plead with the lord directly, or let Arwen or Glorfindel represent her?

She felt like her life was on standby. She was spending her days with Arwen, trying to forget that she had been abducted and that her children were orphans back in her world. She did not understand why she was part of a prophecy. She was no one special when compared to the ellith of Imladris. She definitely was at a disadvantage in comparison. She was strange, both physically and mentally, to everyone she had met here! Why were they not realizing they had made a mistake? Why keep her here? It would be so much simpler to send her back home. She would eventually forget this whole adventure, move on with her life, and eventually meet a man to grow old with. He would be nothing like all these males here, certainly not as attractive and mysterious as the captain, but he would be normal. She only wanted someone normal, to live a normal life, in her normal world. Was it too much to ask?

The next morning, Valerie had breakfast in the dining hall with Arwen, but she could feel excitement in the air. Something was up. It was indeed an exceptional day when Glorfindel was showing up for breakfast. He never did. Ever. He did not look at her and went to sit with Lindir and Erestor, discussing some matter while eating distractedly.

Valerie asked to be excused once she was done, but Lord Elrond stopped her with a raised hand.

"Do not go far, young one," he told her. "We will need you soon in the garden. Get your warmest cloak, we may be outside for a while."

Valerie waited to see if he would tell her anything else, but he did not. She knew better than to question his commands in front of everyone. He was looking at her with kindness instead of his usual puzzlement or resentment. She decided to comply in the hope that he would feel kindness for her more frequently.

She curtsied and went to her room to get a cloak made of white fur with a large hood, a gift from Arwen. It was a priceless gift, one she cherished greatly for both practical and sentimental reasons. Arwen had given it to her before her escape and it had been given as a token of friendship. Valerie walked to the garden, quite a sad sight in the winter while it had been so beautiful early in the fall. She walked in the direction of the voices she could hear, stopping once in a while to look at the marble statues of elves.

"This one is High King Ereinion Gil-galad," Arwen said, putting her arm around Valerie's waist, being careful to keep the warm cloak in place around her friend. "A fine specimen, was he not?" she laughed with impertinence.

"Certainly," Valerie agreed, observing the statue of a regal ellon, tall with large shoulders, with a serious frown on his features. "Did you know him?"

"No, I was not born when he died! He died at the battle of Dagorlad during the Second Age. My father was one of his counselors."

"How old is your father?"

"Thousands of years, Valerie. We do not celebrate his begetting day anymore, so you do not have to worry about gifts for him."

They both laughed and walked together to another area of the garden. Valerie was surprised when they met a small group of elves apparently waiting for them. Lord Elrond and his sons, Mithrandir, Lord Lindir and Lord Erestor, and the captain, fully armed and ready for battle.

"Dear lady, after long discussions, we have decided to grant your wish. Our captain has volunteered to attempt to go to your world and bring your children back here. The risks may be great, I hope you realize that," Lord Elrond added gravely.

This was not exactly what she had been hoping for, since going back home would have been her preferred choice. Obviously, the elves were not willing to let her go, still convinced that she had a role to play in their prophecy. But at least, she would be reunited with her children. Her children! How she had missed them! Overcome with joy, Valerie tried to make eye contact with Glorfindel but he was not looking at her at all. He was busy fixing the last piece of his armor, then preparing his bow and his sword.

"We are going right now?" she asked.

"No, my child," the wizard said with kindness. "You will not go back. Only Lord Glorfindel will go."

She didn't need to be told why she would not be going. They knew she would stay in her world if she ever crossed the portal again. She smirked, and Lord Elrond smirked in return. She took this as a mark of respect. He knew she was resourceful and would use all opportunities to her advantage.

Mithrandir chanted a few words in a language she didn't recognize, and a portal opened, similar to the one she had seen before, a translucent floating veil in the garden.

"The portal will bring him directly to your former home. Please do not be angry if he has to use some force to make them cross the portal..."

"I will not hurt them," Glorfindel's deep voice said.

"They might put up a fight," she warned him. "They may be small, but they can be a lot of trouble."

"The apples did not fall far from the tree," one of the twins said. She heard his surprised grunt as Arwen elbowed him.

Finally ready, Glorfindel turned around and looked at Valerie for the first time in a long time. He was breathtakingly handsome and fearsome. A true deadly warrior.

"How do they call you, in your language?" he asked.

"Mommy." He repeated the word and she corrected his pronunciation. He nodded to confirm he understood the difference.

"Thank you, Lord Glorfindel. For everything. Do what you have to do to bring them back. Please."

"I will," he promised. For a second, she felt his gaze on her, a very male evaluation of her looks, and then he turned around and was gone, without apparent hesitation or caution. As if going to an entirely different world were no scary circumstances.

Valerie started pacing almost immediately, wondering what was happening on the other side of the veil. Did Glorfindel find them yet? Maybe they were at her parents' and he had no idea where they were?

"Calm down, Valerie," Arwen requested, although she was very nervous herself. She grabbed Valerie's arm when she passed in front of her and pulled her into an affectionate embrace. "All will be well," she whispered.

Minutes later, minutes that had lasted an eternity for Valerie, they started hearing a little voice close to the veil. Soon, a child was literally pushed through the portal, but Glorfindel did not reappear.

The child lifted his head and looked around at the people who were encircling him. His eyes stopped on a red-haired woman in a white cloak standing near him.

"Mommy?" he said in English.

He had changed in just a few months! His hair was a little longer, and his face had lost some of his babyish features. And he had grown! More than an inch, she would wager! He was wearing pajamas she had never seen, with Spiderman on the shirt. Valerie was able to shake herself and threw herself to the ground to be at his level.

"Adam," she cried, overjoyed. "My baby!"

"Mommy," he said, strongly locking his little arms around her neck and putting his head under her chin. He suddenly closed his eyes, as if he was asleep, his body becoming soft like a rag doll.

"What is happening to him?" she asked around. Lord Elrond knelt beside her and checked his pulse.

"He is unconscious. This is good news, Valerie. You experienced the same when you arrived here. He is starting to become half-elven. Like you. It means he will remain here, with us. For a very long time," he insisted, his own way of speaking about immortality to someone who still had difficulty grasping the concept.

She took her son back in her arms and started to rock him.

"Allow me to bring him to the healing rooms," Elladan offered.

"No, he is staying with me."

"He might get cold."

Without answering, she simply enveloped Adam in her own cloak. Elladan rolled his eyes and mumbled something about a pig-headed elleth.

Soon after, voices started being heard through the portal. A child voice, and an adult female voice screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone got closer to the portal, understanding that Glorfindel was in trouble.

A thundering sound was heard, and within seconds, Glorfindel appeared, a screaming girl under his arm. The fabric of his left sleeve was soaked with blood, and he quickly dropped the child on the ground to look at his arm in disbelief. He seemed to have sustained an injury right under his pauldron, the shoulder piece of his armor.

On the other side of the portal, the woman was still screaming. None too gently, Valerie dropped Adam on the ground and she stood, recognizing the voice of her sister. Her mind had quickly registered that Phoebe was well before she had fallen asleep too.

"Allison," she cried through the portal. "It's me, Valerie," she said in English. "My children are now with me. Please let them go."

"No!" Allison cried. "Whoever you are, I will kill you! These are my children to care for!"

Before Mithrandir could close the portal, Allison had crossed the veil and was standing in the garden, a gun in her hand. She saw her niece and nephew unconscious on the ground, and a woman that looked like an improved version of her sister standing in front of her in a fur cloak.

"Valerie?" she asked incredulously, before falling heavily to the ground. Her gun landed near Valerie's feet. As a reflex, she picked it up. And then, it clicked in her head. She now had a gun. She could force them to send her back to her world. It was her very last chance. Once that portal was gone, Mithrandir would never open another one. The gun would be confiscated and she would never see it again.

Everyone around knew, after seeing Glorfindel's wound, that Valerie was holding a deadly weapon, light and easy to use. The tension increased in the garden.

"Do not close the portal," Valerie commanded with a hard voice she had never used before in front of the elves. This was the voice of the ruthless business woman who was used to be obeyed.

Mithrandir stopped the movement he had started to close it.

"Valerie, please, do not hurt my adar," Arwen begged, pleading for the life of the ellon who had taken upon himself to transform Valerie's life without any consideration for her own perspective on the matter. "Do not hurt them," she amended, knowing many ellyn in the garden were at fault in how they had treated Valerie.

Horrified by her friend's appeal, Valerie realized that she would never be able to truly threaten them. Each of them, in their own strange way, had been nice to her, despite the awkwardness of their interactions. No, she had to find another way to use the gun to force them to listen to her. She suddenly grasped that there was an even better way. There was one person in this garden that meant the world to them. One person they would want to protect at all cost.

She slowly put the gun on her own temple. The collective gasp informed her that she had been right in her assessment of the situation.

"Child, please, do not do this," a clearly frightened Elrond pleaded with her.

Valerie knew that none of them could imagine losing the elleth of the prophecy. The consequences would be indescribable. Horrifying. The elves and men would not unite, and that evil spirit Glorfindel had told her about would win. Middle Earth would be destroyed.

"Let me go back home," Valerie murmured, wondering how far she would go. She didn't truly intend to take own her life, never in a million years. She was only hoping they would believe she could do it, and meet her demands.

Arwen started to whimper. "Oh Valar! Ada, let her go," she begged her father. "She cannot die! I cannot see her die!"

"Lady Valerie, look at me," a deep voice said behind her. "Look at me," Glorfindel insisted, coming closer to her very slowly, forgetting about the bleeding wound on his left arm. "You do not truly want this. Your children are here now, with you, as you had requested. They are becoming half-elven as we speak. You will raise them like you had wished."

"This is not how I had planned to raise them, nor is Imladris the place where I wanted them to live. This is not my home," she reminded him.

"This is your home now," he stated evenly. He was very close and could have grabbed the gun by now, but he did not do it, preferring to negotiate with her rather than make her feel that she had no control over her own life. "Your children need you. Look at them."

Valerie looked at her twins. So small. So innocent. She had missed them so much! And as Glorfindel had pointed out, they were here, in Imladris, exactly as she had requested. She had implicitly agreed to stay if her children were brought here. They had held their side of the bargain. Now it was her turn to keep her word.

"We need to bring them to the healing rooms so they can be taken care of. Give me the weapon, and we will go there immediately. The healers are waiting for them."

The captain was right. Her children and Allison needed care. She could not bring them back home, not anymore. It was too late. They were in Middle Earth for good now. Valerie slowly lowered her arm, moving the gun away from her head. Glorfindel extended his right hand in a gesture requesting the weapon. She gave it to him, quite ashamed of the scene she had made. Avoiding eye contact with everyone, she dropped to her knees and pulled both her children in her arms.

Mithrandir quickly closed the portal, promising himself never to reopen it again.

It took some coaxing to convince Valerie to allow them to bring her children and sister to the healing rooms. They all left the gardens except Glorfindel and Elrond, who remained behind.

"I need to see your wound," the lord told his captain after he had given him the gun.

"I will follow you shortly," Glorfindel promised. "I need some alone time."

"Hurry," the lord insisted. "You are bleeding more than I like. This is a strange wound." Elrond left, knowing Glorfindel needed more privacy than any other elf living in Imladris. He was extremely secretive and hated when people fussed around him. Elrond knew that Glorfindel would go to the healing rooms once the pain became unbearable.

Finally alone, Glorfindel leaned heavily against the statue of Elros, first king of Numenor. Closing his eyes, he let his emotions flow freely in his heart and his soul.

The children had been in the house close to the portal, as Mithrandir had indicated. Taking the male child from his bed had been quite easy. The child had been barely awake while Glorfindel was carrying him to the portal, only protesting once he had understood he was being kidnapped by a stranger. What Glorfindel had not expected was that a woman would be sleeping in the bed of the little elleth he had come back for. He had ran away with Valerie's daughter, knowing he was followed by an enraged woman, and he had been unable to avoid whatever had hit his left arm. The pain had exploded in his bicep, worst than an arrow or a sword wound.

But the physical pain had been easier to handle than watching Valerie put that weapon against her head. He knew it would have been a mortal wound. Convincing her to give him the weapon without violently snatching it from her had been the most difficult thing he had ever done. Rushing her into a reaction could have been catastrophic.

"Valar, please protect her," he prayed out loud. It was his fëa-mate that could have died a few moments ago. "I could live no more if she were not living in this world. Let her bind with someone else if it comes to that, but please, do not let her die..."

The shooting pain in his arm was becoming unbearable and the blood loss was weakening him. There was blood on the statue of Lord Elrond's brother. He wiped it with his sleeve and slowly made his way to the healing rooms, hoping that his lord would be able to help him with this strange and most painful wound.

OoOoO

Her children were sleeping in the same bed, while Allison was in a bed right beside theirs. Valerie was sitting between the two, watching the healers take their vital signs and confirm that all was well. They were recognizing the symptoms and phases she herself had experienced before, the deep sleep, the growing elven light in their spirits, and the same physical changes gradually appearing.

They anticipated that it would take a few days before they woke, and one of the healers suggested that Valerie went to rest in her apartment since nothing would happen anytime soon. She refused, insisting to remain with the family she had not seen for months. She also was worried about Allison. Why had her sister followed Glorfindel through the veil? Valerie had to admit that her sister had been extremely courageous. Going through a portal in which she had seen a warrior disappear after having abducted her niece and nephew was an act of courage and love that she had not expected her older sister to do. Allison, despite being a competent and empathetic surgeon, had generally been, in her personal life, a self-centered person who thought of little more than her entertainment and the increase of her wealth. The fact that her sister had been in her house, taking care of her children since her disappearance was quite unexpected. And bravely defending them like this? That was a first.

What would Allison do here, in Middle Earth? She was not supposed to be here, although the fact that she was asleep like Valerie's children was a clear sign that Allison had also been accepted by the elven gods.

"Valerie?" Lord Elrond had appeared beside her, holding the gun Allison had used to stop Glorfindel. "I need to understand what kind of wound Glorfindel sustained?"

"Is there an entrance and an exit point in his arm?"

"I am afraid not. Should there be?"

"It would have been easier."

"I need to know what is inside my captain's arm."

"May I?" Valerie asked politely, holding out her hand to receive the weapon from the lord of Imladris.

After a second of hesitation, Elrond gave her the gun. She watched it attentively. As far as she knew, Allison had never owned a weapon, but it could have changed after her disappearance. Perhaps she had made the purchase to protect her sister's orphaned children following her assumed death? Valerie had never used a gun before, and she struggled to unload the semi-automatic hand gun. She finally was able to remove one of the bullets from the magazine.

"This is what you are looking for, a _bullet_ ," she told the lord, giving him the bullet.

Lord Elrond held out his hand to get the gun back. She gave it to him, blushing furiously. She did not know what had gone through her head when she had threatened her own life with the weapon. It had felt like it was her last chance to go back to her world, but at the same time, had she really wanted to go back? After Glorfindel had risked his life to bring back her children? The ellon, who had started to haunt her thoughts continuously since her attempted escape, had been hurt and she would thank him by simply leaving him behind without a look back? She was afraid that leaving had already no longer been an option at the time, not with her awakening feelings for the enigmatic captain.

"I am sorry about earlier," she whispered. The lord nodded, accepting her apology. "Is Lord Glorfindel in a lot of pain?"

"You must know by now that he would hardly show any evidence of pain. He has absolute control on his emotions and physical reactions."

"Can I see him?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"He brought my children here at great risk. I forgot to thank him earlier."

"Well, he is the next room. I need to get some supplies to remove the object, so you can speak to him until I am ready to proceed with the surgery."

Valerie left her family and went to the next room where a shirtless Glorfindel was staring at the wall, his hand holding a piece of cotton against his wound to slow the flow of blood. He looked up when he heard her entering the room. She sat on a chair and watched him with a guilty expression. It looked painful, very painful. She tried to set aside his half-nakedness and concentrate on what she wanted to tell him.

"Lord Glorfindel, I am deeply sorry about the injury you have sustained. I wish I had been able to warn you in advance, but truthfully, I had no idea that my sister would be there with a dangerous weapon. You have my eternal gratitude for bringing my children and sister here. I am not sure how I can ever repay that debt."

"I am not expecting a repayment. I simply did my duty."

Valerie observed him with curiosity. Since the night they had spent together in the woods, when he had had a nightmare right beside her, she had been fascinated by him. Arwen had given her a history book about Gondolin, and although reading the elvish characters was still very difficult for her, she had understood most of the tale, and what she had not comprehended, Arwen had helped her with. Glorfindel, lord of the Golden Flower, had been a prominent warrior in the city of Gondolin during the First Age. The city had been hidden for 400 years before it was destroyed by Morgoth's army of orcs and balrogs, after King Turgon had been betrayed by his own nephew Maeglin. Ecthelion, lord of the Fountain, had killed Gothmog by driving the spike of his helmet into the balrog's body. Glorfindel had faced a balrog too, allowing many citizens to escape, including Lord Elrond's father Eärendil, who was just an elfling at the time. Unfortunately, while Glorfindel had mortally wounded the balrog, the beast had caught his long braid and pulled him down a hill with him. Whether Glorfindel had died from the fall or from the burns was unclear, his calcined body had been found near the balrog's in the following days.

Valerie had received the confirmation that elves were truly immortal. If their body died, their soul was going to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor, where they stayed for a long time under the guidance of the Vala Namo, until he deemed them ready to be reborn. It had been the case for Glorfindel, who had been reembodied in the Second Age in Valinor. The Valar had ordered him to sail back to Middle Earth and protect Lord Elrond and his family.

She now understood Glorfindel much better. He was old, so old, and had suffered greatly, still plagued by nightmares millennia after his death. The book had not mentioned him being married, something Arwen had confirmed after Valerie had subtly inquired. Elven bindings lasted forever. The last thing Valerie needed was to fall in love with a bonded ellon!

Better call a cat a cat. She was falling for the mysterious warrior, even if they had not spoken that much or even seen each other that much since her arrival. And he seemed so cold, so indifferent! But he also did the craziest thing for her, going to a different world just to bring back her children after she had spoken about it once. And now? She was seeing him shirtless for the first time, as if she needed additional images of him to dream about in the solitude of her nights. She knew that somewhere in Imladris and in other realms, there were ellyn who were expecting to meet her and maybe become her husband, or mate, as they called it. Here, in Imladris, an unidentified ellon could be her mate, and he was remaining incognito because she had refused to hear about him. She could not care less who he was, or who the others were in Lothlorien, Greenwood or Mithlond. The only one she truly cared about was sitting in front of her, bleeding because of her.

"I admit that I am at a loss about your decision to go to my world. I cannot help but wonder about all these things you have done for me, while you are so... indifferent. We are not even friends..."

Lord Elrond chose that exact moment to enter, and he immediately realized the high level of tension in the room. But he had a patient to take care of, and whatever fight Valerie and Glorfindel were currently having, it would have to wait until he was done.

"Valerie, please hold this for me. You will help me while I remove this _bullet_ from Glorfindel's arm."

Valerie blanched. She had never really been around injured people being tended to. Especially not under these primitive conditions.

"My Lord, my sister is a trained healer. I am not. I cannot be of any help."

Elrond rolled his eyes. "I am only asking you to hold this tray for now."

Valerie sighed deeply but nonetheless took the tray and watched it intensely while Elrond was using surgical pliers to extract the bullet from Glorfindel's arm. The pliers reappeared within her sight, bloodied, while Elrond's hand took another sort from the tray. He was mumbling while working, but Glorfindel made absolutely no sound. She could only imagine how painful this was, and made a silent prayer that his torture would soon end. Elrond's grunt of satisfaction announced that he had successfully removed the bullet. She looked up and saw that he was holding the bloodied bullet between the pliers and showed it to Glorfindel, whose arm had started bleeding heavily again.

Elrond then took a bottle, which could only be some sort of alcohol, and poured a large amount over Glorfindel's wound. He only betrayed the pain by a tightening of his jaw and the closing of his ocean blue eyes.

"I forgot some gauze," the lord mumbled. "I am very distracted indeed today, after all these events! Please excuse me," he apologized, leaving Valerie and Glorfindel alone again. They remained silent for a moment. Feeling that Elrond did not really need her help while he had a bunch of healers at his service in the various healing rooms, Valerie stood, unable to remain while Glorfindel was ignoring her earlier remark about his indifference.

She was stopped when he grabbed Valerie's arm none-too-gently. "I am not indifferent," he simply stated, his gaze burning.

He let her go when Elrond reentered the room. Valerie left without a look back, troubled.

OoOoO

Since their awakening, her children had spent all their time with her, afraid that she would disappear once more. Within two days, she had been moved to a bigger apartment containing three bedrooms, a boudoir, a washroom with some basic bathing facilities, a balcony and, to her immense pleasure, fireplaces. Lord Elrond had been kind enough to have some of his people quickly install windows to protect them from the wind and the cold. It was now a comfortable apartment, fit for a half-elven family, and it was located near Glorfindel's suite again.

People were observing the two elflings with curiosity everywhere they went, marveling at the sight of small children. The last child born in Imladris had taken his first breath many centuries before. The seamstresses had quickly prepared a complete wardrobe for Phoebe and Adam, and had been quite distressed when they realized that Phoebe preferred to wear Adam's clothing instead of the small dresses they had sewn.

Valerie's children had changed, just like she had. Improved senses, refined features, pointy ears, they were very beautiful elflings, and although Allison had not woken yet, she had noticed some physical changes in her sister during her visits.

Valerie had spent these days between the healing rooms and her apartment, where she was helping her children cope with the important changes in their lives. It turned out that Phoebe and Adam were so pleased to be reunited with their mother that they did not care about where they were. The fact that they now lived in a medieval world was first perceived as entertaining, although they soon started missing their video games and favorite TV shows. Valerie had asked the craftsmen to make toys, and gave them drawings of cars, robots and animals, and even a baseball bat. She had even recreated some popular board games to play with them. Strangely, there were card games already in Imladris.

One afternoon, many days later, while they were playing a game of Go Fish, a servant gave her a message from Lord Elrond. Her presence in the healing rooms was requested, since her sister appeared to be about to wake. Everyone wanted to avoid a violent reaction like Valerie's had been, and they hoped that her presence would help Allison cope with the strangeness of her new situation.

She arrived, her children in tow, finding Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir around Allison's bed. She sat on her usual chair and asked Adam and Phoebe to sit on their aunt's bed. When Allison opened her green eyes, the first people she saw were the children. She quickly sat, grabbed them and held them protectively against her chest.

"Hello, Allison," Valerie said in English.

"Valerie? Is that you?"

"Yes, Allison!" Adam confirmed. "It's Mommy! She is here, she asked someone to get us, and here we are!"

"You look different. You all look different," Allison remarked suspiciously.

"So do you!" Phoebe cried loudly in Allison's ear. The now elleth cringed in pain, instinctively touching her ear and freezing when she felt its modified shape.

"Oh my God, this is for real! Am I dreaming? This must be a dream!"

"No, it is not a dream," Valerie confirmed to her sister. She turned to the lord and his sons. "I believe she will be fine. You must not worry," she said in Sindarin. "We will be a while."

Recognizing the not-so-subtle dismissal, the three ellyn left the room.

"What was that language you were speaking? And did you see how gorgeous these men were? Especially the two that seem to be twins. Tell me, do you know them well?"

Valerie sighed. It would be a long conversation indeed.

* * *

 _A/N: I would like to thank the following readers who have left me reviews to give me comments and suggestions about the Glorfindel edition. I love reading them – it is very motivating:_

 _LadyLindariel, Morwen Black, imurhuckleberry, CoranCamora, Photaxol, Brooke12, ForeverSomewhereElse, faye50free, Iduna, blackunicorne, , glassary, Paperlanterns86, NovellaSkyler, sweetserenity11, Blake2.1,Obilucius, sslin, KrystylSky, 4gardiean, Aralinn, earthdragon and princessnerra._


	4. Chapter 4 - Twin temptation

Author warning: in this universe, elves can have lovers before they meet and bond with their fëa-mates. I figure - beings living centuries or even millennia before meeting their soul-mate cannot wait such a long time before having a lover - that would be a very boring life indeed!

* * *

 _Chapter 3 ended with:_

" _What was that language you were speaking? And did you see how gorgeous these men were? Especially the two that seem to be twins. Tell me, do you know them well?"_

 _Valerie sighed. It would be a long conversation indeed._

 **Chapter 4 – Twin temptation**

"So let me get this straight: we are in a different world where elves, dragons and dwarves exist. Elves came to get you in our world because there is a prophecy about a woman from our world that will have babies with an elf, and they think it's you?"

"Yes," Valerie confirmed, the description of the situation being relatively accurate.

"And then, you figured, why don't I get my sister here too, so she can be stuck with me in this crazy adventure?"

"You were never meant to be here. I only asked them to get Phoebe and Adam. You were the unexpected bonus."

"Why? Why did you want the children with you?"

"They are my children! They should be with their mother! Who else was going to take care of them?"

"Me!"

"I didn't know that! I did not want to impose this burden on you and I knew that our parents would never take care of them. And you were working so hard at the hospital, taking care of your patients, I truly did not believe that you would want to raise children. And with your panic attacks..."

"What is this supposed to mean? How judgmental of you!"

Valerie took a deep breath. "Allison... let's be realistic. Our upbringing in a dysfunctional family, the neglect we suffered from a love point of view while money was flowing all around us, it had a major impact on the both of us. And while our brother thrived in this atmosphere, my rebellion against our parents sent me directly to boarding school for most of my teenage years. You suffered the most. In all honesty, aside from your professional career, you are not the most stable elleth."

"I am not an _elleth_ , I am a woman!"

"Not anymore," Valerie reminded her. Her sister had gone through the same deep sleep she had experienced before, and had awaken with the elven flame in her spirit. She also now had the lighter, glowing skin, the pointier ears, the improved senses. "Listen, I am sorry. I wanted my children, and I knew they would never send me back. A warrior accepted to go back to get them. I sincerely apologize about the fact that you are stuck here because of me."

"Can't I go back?"

"No. It is not possible. You are an elf now, an immortal, a being of light, an Eldar. You are here to stay. I am very sorry," she apologized again.

Allison stared at her sister, breathing deeply. "I must admit, I am surprised that I don't have a panic attack as we speak."

"Elves are not getting sick."

"Great! What will my profession be if I am to remain here?"

"Elves don't get sick, but they get injured. There are some nasty creatures out there, and our warriors are fighting them with courage and great dedication. Regularly, some of them are brought to the healing rooms with gruesome injuries. Your knowledge would be very precious. I know Lord Elrond is anxiously waiting to discuss your training with you."

"I bet he is! This is some kind of Middle Ages you brought me in! How I am supposed to perform surgeries under these archaic conditions?"

"I understand they use sleeping draughts."

"Sleeping draughts!" Allison huffed.

Valerie smiled. Allison was already planning what her life would be like here. Unlike Valerie months before, who had been alone in an unknown world where people did not speak her language, Allison had her close family with her, the only three people that she truly cared for. She could be happy here.

"How are men here? I saw quite a few gorgeous specimens, between the healers and the three lords from before."

"Elves are gorgeous beings. There are quite a few single warriors and scholars. If they can get over your age, you can date people as much as you want..."

"What is wrong with my age? Am I too old at 33 years old?"

"It's quite the opposite! Childhood lasts 50 years for an elf. We are so very, very young for them, despite the fact that we are obviously adults physically. The youngest elf in Imladris is more than 800 years old."

"They have no children?"

"The darkening of their world weighs heavily on their spirits. Their hope is diminishing, many elves are sailing to a land of peace out West... They do not wish to bring new life in this world."

"We are talking about the same world that we are stuck in?"

"Yes. I am supposed to bring them hope and unity. Do not ask me how I am supposed to achieve this, I still have to figure it out."

"I am sure you will figure it out. Now about the males, how do I know who is available and who is not?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "They have wedding rings here too, not that it ever stopped you before. But elven binding is unbreakable. Once bound, a couple will never cheat, for they share a spiritual bond beyond anything we can imagine. This is some form of magic, ensuring that a couple can remain in love for eternity. It would be very inappropriate for you to seduce a married ellon, by the way."

"I will do my best not to be frowned upon, I promise! Now when I woke, there were these two twin men, dark haired..."

Valerie sighed. Of course, Allison had to pick the sons of Lord Elrond of all people to start hunting!

OoOoO

"You have been here for many months, have you not started dating an ellon?" Allison inquired one evening at dinner. They were speaking in English most of the time, since Valerie's sister was still learning Sindarin. It was an arduous task, even if she too, had been helped by Mithrandir, who had given her improved language skills like he had done for Valerie before.

"No," Valerie sighed regretfully. "It seems like they see me as this... sacrificial virgin. I must remain pure, untainted."

Allison snorted loudly. "Despite the evidence that you are not, thanks to these two little devils running around the manor and its grounds, creating havoc? How could they not have noticed this?"

"I told you about the prophecy. I am promised to one of three ellyn, and no male will even approach me unless they are bringing me word from Lord Elrond. The ones that are considered lords will sometimes have a strictly friendly discussion with me. This is frustrating!"

"Yes... I can imagine the frustration..." Allison added, her expression suddenly dreamy.

"Have you chosen yet which one of the twins will have the honor of sharing your bed?"

Allison had proven her worth to the Imladris healers and Lord Elrond in particular after an attack at the Eastern border. Many warriors had come back with injuries, and Allison had taken care of the most gravely injured in the lot, Elrohir. The ellon had received three arrows, one to his left shoulder blade, and two in his chest. Internal organs had been damaged, and Lord Elrond had done what he could, but in these times, injuries to internal organs were regularly fatal. Allison had respectfully pushed the lord aside, and after making sure that Elrohir had been given a strong sleeping draught, she had started working, showing her extensive expertise as a surgeon. She had worked for three hours in complete silence, never stopping, never complaining, the other healers joining them in the room after all the other patients had been taken care of. When she had finally closed the last wound, she had slumped on her chair, exhausted, and Lord Elrond and Elladan, who had joined during the procedure, had helped her to a comfortable chair and given her something to drink.

In the following hours, the three of them had quietly spoken of medicine in her world while Elrohir was still sleeping. They also talked about the care Elrohir would need to receive over the next few weeks. The lord and his heir expressed their gratitude for having saved Elrohir's life. They knew they could never repay that debt.

In the days that had followed, Elladan and Allison had tended to Elrohir, and the three of them had become friends. Until that day when Allison had interrupted a discussion between the twin brothers, the subject being her and potential ways to seduce her. They had quickly recovered and changed the subject. Allison had shared the information with Valerie, who had been quite interested to hear that her sister may soon have more success in her love life with the elves than she did herself.

"Well, there is a little something I never told you..." Allison finally answered Valerie. She watched around the room where almost all of Imladris was having dinner. The only other two people who spoke English, Adam and Phoebe, were playing by the fire and were out of earshot. "It seems that the twins have shared in the past a common interest for ellith."

"And?"

"They share."

"They share? What do you mean by that?"

"They share ellith. It has been at least a century that each time they have a common interest in an elleth, they both... sleep with her."

Valerie stared at her sister, struggling to process that information. And then, she burst out laughing, very loudly. Her hilarity was contagious, and Allison, after a few moments of bafflement, joined her in her merriment. Their giggles caught everyone's attention, and the lords and ladies stared at them.

"It is the first time that I hear Valerie laugh so heartily," Arwen told her father with a smile.

"I am glad that she can finally be herself instead of this wounded elleth who has been torn away from her world and thrown here thoughtlessly." Glorfindel's voice was hard, and all the lords at the table knew that they were being reminded of their carelessness in handling this most important matter.

"What is important is that the situation was fixed, thanks to you," Arwen replied, wanting to avoid a confrontation between her father and the captain.

They kept watching as the two elflings were drawn towards their mother and aunt, wanting to share their happiness. The children were very active and had been seen all over Imladris, sometimes with their naneth in tow, playing in the numerous stairs, swimming in the river, discovering every single room in the manor and trying to communicate with the servants to get whatever it was they wanted at the time. All were still watching the elflings with kindness despite their disruptive behaviors with the staff.

Allison gave them some cake while Valerie gave them lots of kisses. The four talked and laughed for a little while before the children went back to play, and immediately, the whispered conversation between the sisters resumed.

"So this is going to end as a threesome? They are brothers, this is so... wrong. I am sure incest is not accepted here either."

"Did I use the word threesome?" Allison asked dramatically. "I said they share. Not that they sleep together!"

"What does that mean? How does this work?"

"Well... it seems that the elleth sleeps some nights with one of them, and some nights with the other."

"And did they tell you yet which one of them is better in bed? So you know which one to try first? Or is it a trial and error kind of experience? Maybe they can tell you who they slept with in the past, and these ellith could tell you which one to start with?" Valerie laughed out loud again, this time tears rolling on her cheeks.

"I would not have told you a thing if I had known you would laugh about it!" Allison replied, getting angry quickly. She started to stand to leave the table they usually shared with the children, and Valerie grabbed her wrist, suddenly serious.

"I am sorry, Allison. Please forgive me. This is strange for me. You have to understand, no one has shown any interest in me. No one. And you find yourself with two suitors, incredibly attractive, and you tell me that you will probably have two lovers at once, and that everyone will think it is normal. Please... Humor me. I need some merriment in my boring, sexually frustrated life."

Allison sat back down, her pride wounded.

"So... which one do you prefer?"

"I do not know. They are both so similar physically!"

"But mentally? Elladan is more serious, Elrohir is a prankster. I would have thought that Elladan would be more interesting to you." Valerie reflected on this for a moment. "Allison, you do know that you don't have to sleep with both of them if you do not wish to?"

"That is not the problem."

"Oh, I see. You want to be with the both of them?"

"Kind of?" Allison said with uncertainty.

"Wow! This world is really changing you! And to think our mother was scolding me for having my twins outside of wedlock! She would be outraged by what you are about to do!"

"Yes, I think being here has changed me. I feel... free. There are no expectations. No parents and brother to make our lives miserable. I mean, do you even miss them?"

Valerie snorted. How could she miss John Thompson, founder and sole owner of a major entertainment and information business that had been his pride and joy, neglecting his own children to grow his profits and wealth? Did she miss her brother John Junior, who was their father's successor and who had always been cold and calculating with his younger sisters?

"You are right, you are much better here," Valerie finally admitted.

"What about you? Are you not better here? A life without the stress of managing a magazine, without the pressure from our family?"

"Do I have to remind you that I have been brought here to have children with an ellon? I am expected to become a laying hen."

"A laying hen?" Allison repeated.

"Yes, year after year, I will pop a child," Valerie said, and putting her finger in her mouth, she took it out with a loud popping noise that everyone heard in the room. Realizing she had drawn the attention of many again, and that Elladan and Elrohir had snickered loudly, Valerie blushed furiously while Allison giggled.

"How did she make that noise?" Arwen whispered. Elrohir immediately repeated the sound, earning a glare from his father.

Lowering her voice, Valerie continued for her sister. "Having children. That is my sole purpose for being here. And I don't even get to choose the father of all these babies."

"I thought you had the choice between three men?"

"And what if I hate them all? What if there are repulsive?"

Allison lifted an eyebrow. This was a ridiculous statement. All the elves were insanely gorgeous, regardless of their hair or eye color.

"Well, beauty is not the only important thing. What if they are boring? Or rude, with poor manners? And I doubt that... they will like me. I am, at best, strange to the people here."

"Why do you say that?"

"I told you! I think... I may be ugly to them. Maybe it's my hair?" she asked, taking a lock of her fiery hair and showing it to Allison. Her sister's brown hair was closer to the norm in Imladris.

"You are insane," Allison dismissed her concerns. "I spent years being secretly jealous of you since high school. Everywhere you go, you draw everyone's attention. Guys used to follow you around, almost drooling."

"These are elves. Not some hormonal teenagers."

"Ellyn are males too! What happened to you? Why did you lose all your self-confidence?"

Valerie sighed in defeat.

"Listen to me," Allison insisted, taking her big sister tone. "You are beautiful, even more so than before. That whole elven transformation gave you this incredible aura – if I were an ellon, I would take you to my bed right now."

"You're so stupid," Valerie grumbled, but she smiled nevertheless.

"What about Captain Glorfindel?" Allison discreetly watched the table where Lord Elrond was with his closest advisers and his children. She made eye contact with Glorfindel, whose eyes were on the two sisters. "He is watching us," she whispered. "Is that not a good sign?"

"I made a fool of myself – this is why he is watching. Glorfindel... He told me weeks ago that he is not indifferent... But he is respecting the fact that I am destined for other ellyn."

"Then seduce him! Do I have to remind you how to take a man to your bed? You used to be very good at it!"

"I do not understand why he is resisting. He must not find me attractive, even if he says he is not indifferent. It makes me feel like the ugly duckling of the story!"

"I will ask the twins."

Valerie looked at her children and turned back with a questioning look to her sister.

"Not your twins, my twins!" Allison laughed.

"They are already yours? What will you ask them?"

"If it is true that people find your red hair offensive. And I will ask them if Glorfindel ever speaks of you when you are not around. I will get to the bottom of this!"

"I feel like we are fourth graders in the school yard, asking my best friend to ask boys out for me! _Do you find Valerie attractive, because she likes you,_ " she chanted like a little girl. " _Do you want to be her boyfriend?_ "

"I am wondering what they are talking about," Arwen murmured, a little jealous of the relationship between the sisters. She was wondering if Allison's arrival would mean that Valerie would not pursue a close friendship with her.

"Whatever it is, it cannot be good. They have this determined air that means they will do something inappropriate again," Erestor groaned.

OoOoO

"Dear Allison, I was wondering where I would find you," Elladan said as he entered one of the healing rooms.

"I do not believe you," Allison said in Sindarin. "I am always here."

"This is inexact. You spend a great deal of time in your sister's chambers, where I cannot track you."

Elladan watched the half-elven elleth who was cleaning the room after having removed the tip of an arrow from the leg of a warrior that had been brought earlier that evening.

"Will he be able to walk soon?"

"It will be a few days before he can go back to the... borders?"

"Yes, _borders_ is the word. You are speaking our language very well now," he complimented her.

"Thank you."

"I thought we could celebrate your achievements tonight. You and I."

Allison stared for a moment. "What about your brother?"

"Tonight is about you and me. Forget Elrohir. Are you done here for the night?"

"Yes."

"Then come to my rooms. I want to get to know you better," he seductively said, getting closer to her until he was almost touching her.

Allison still had not decided to accept the proposal of the twin brothers. She had had many lovers, sometimes two during the same period of time, but the men had never known each other, did not even know she was seeing other people. She had had a carefree love life, without obligations. This had been necessary to endure the stress of her life as a surgeon dealing with multiple trauma victims. No attachment. And now, two brothers, twins so similar that telling them apart was difficult, wanted to be her lovers. Knowing that she would spend some nights with one, some with the other. Was it not a recipe for disaster? How long would it last? How awkward would it get after it was over?

Elladan did not seem to be worried about eventually fighting with his brother over her. A sure sign that he did not care for her, but only wanted her physically. She was a novelty in Imladris, an elleth very different from the others. Why would she say no to that kind of relationship without attachment? That was what she had always been looking for, and new world or not, this was still what she wanted. Should Valerie and her children move to another realm because she chose an ellon from Greenwood or Lothlorien, Allison was more than likely going to follow them. They were all she had, and nothing, not even two gorgeous twin brothers, would keep her in Imladris if Valerie left.

Elladan pulled her closer to him. "You look like a scared elfling," he murmured. "I will not hurt you." He slowly put his lips on her neck, right under her ear.

"I am not afraid," she said shakily. She breathed deeply, putting her hands on his broad shoulders, feeling his muscles under his tunic. He was a spectacular elf. She had never been with anyone so good-looking in her entire life. Were elves very different from men?

He had left her neck and was now watching her with his serious, grey eyes. Observing her like a predator watches his prey. She would show him who was the prey! She grabbed his neck and pulled him to her. She kissed him and immediately deepened the kiss, their tongues battling for dominance. She slowly pushed him against the wall, feeling him smile under her lips.

"A feisty elleth! I am delighted!"

"Your room?" she asked, showing her patience was at an end.

"Follow me, dear lady!" he said, pulling her by the hand.

OoOoO

Allison had spent many a night with Elladan before he went back to the borders. It had been some of the best sex she had had in her entire life. Elrond's son was insatiable, he could make love for hours on, until she begged him to stop and allow her to sleep a few hours before dawn. Together, they had done things he had said proper ellith did not do, things he had only done with women when he was traveling in mortal realms. She had not known if she should have been flattered or not by his comment at the time. She had shared her worry with Valerie, and her sister had reassured her that if she felt comfortable doing some wild things with Elladan, she should not be ashamed of herself. Arwen had told Valerie in the past that ellith were generally submissive in the bedroom. Since the two sisters had experimented modern sex in their world, it was likely that their habits would be a little disconcerting to ellyn. Not that Elladan was complaining.

Allison was leaving Elladan's room before dawn, never falling asleep in his bed. It was her own way of remaining unattached. Elladan and her were, in some ways, friends with benefits. Neither of them had promised to be faithful to the other. She would miss him while he was at the border, but most of all, she was nervous. She remembered that the twins had both approached her and clearly expressed their interest in her. Elrohir was due to come back from the borders that day, just as Elladan was leaving, and Allison was wondering if the younger twin would come to her like Elladan had done before him.

He appeared in the healing rooms during the first evening, knowing she would want to make sure his three arrow wounds had properly healed while he had been away. He barely spoke to her while she was conducting her examination, and she was persuaded that he was angry with her.

"Do you fell pain in your chest when you move? When you lift your sword or your bow?"

"No, not anymore."

"Your scars are healing well," she told him, finally making eye contact. "You have applied the salve regularly, I can tell. I was worried about the scar on your shoulder blade."

"I did not wish to have permanent scars," he remarked, putting his tunic back on. "I am grateful for what you have done for me, Allison."

"It was my pleasure. I used to do surgeries like this back in my world, although I had never seen arrow wounds before. It was a bit of a challenge. I have spoken to your adar about some instruments that I would like the blacksmiths to create for me."

"My father expressed his satisfaction at having found a healer with such knowledge of the body and internal organs. He seems very impressed with your work. You should be proud, few healers earn his respect so quickly."

Allison blushed under the praise.

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" he asked quietly, observing her reaction. She wondered what the invitation entailed. Was it a date? His brother had never invited her on a date. Was he expecting to finish the evening in her bed? She suddenly remembered that she had had an early dinner with Phoebe and Adam while Valerie had gone riding with Arwen.

"I am sorry, I already had dinner," she mumbled.

His expression did not change. "Have a good evening then." He started turning around to leave the healing room they had been in.

"I was planning to have a stroll in the garden later..." she whispered, hoping he would interpret this as an invitation.

He stopped. "Would you consider... having company for that stroll?"

"I was hoping you would like to join me..."

"Then I will meet you in the garden."

To her surprise, after spending an hour walking around in the former gardens of Lady Celebrian, they had gone their separate ways and he had respectfully kissed her hand, wishing her a good night. She did not know if she had been relieved or disappointed.

They had met in the garden every night after their first walk. They had discussed their childhoods, their respective occupations, and she had described her world while he was teaching her about elven history. She appreciated these quiet evenings, even if it was cold outside. She was forgetting the temperature when she was listening to him. He could have serious conversations, but he also made her laugh with his remarks full of wit and his plans for future pranks. He had promised to let her know before the accomplishment of the next one he was planning for Lord Erestor. She had little affection for the cold counselor who seemed to be at odds with her sister. Valerie had told her that Erestor had been an important player in the decision to take her away from her world and that he had never shown any compassion for her struggles, while Lord Elrond had shown remorse numerous times.

A week later, Elladan came back from the border, and both brothers were in the Last Homely House for a few hours. Allison had heard about an altercation between them, but she had not been able to discover the subject of their fight. She did not have the pretentiousness to think it was about her. After all, it was clear that Elrohir had no physical interest in her. He saw her as a friend only, of that she was certain.

Elrohir left for the borders without saying goodbye to Allison. At dinner time, when she entered the dining room, Elladan approached her and discreetly inquired about her interest in pursuing their previous arrangement. Allison looked around to see if anyone had heard him, but fortunately, no one was paying attention to their conversation. She told him she would meet him in his room later that evening and went to sit with Valerie at her usual place.

"What did Elladan want?" her sister asked.

"What do you think?"

"He did not waste time!" Valerie chuckled. "Lucky you! I wish I had someone at my feet like this."

"Elladan is not at my feet."

"Arwen and I had bet about this. She said that he would not come back to you straight away, that he might visit another one of his _friends_. I bet the opposite. He seems fascinated by your... talents."

"Hush!" Allison cried.

"What talents?" Adam asked curiously.

"Aunt Allison is a good surgeon, she is really good with her hands," Valerie told him with a straight face. "Elladan really likes that about her."

"Really?"

"Yes! And when you are a warrior too, you will appreciate her surgeon talents. She will heal all your injuries."

"You will?" Adam asked his aunt for confirmation.

"Yes, I will. Just make sure not to get hurt too frequently." Allison turned to her sister. "What did you bet with Arwen?"

"She owes me two evenings of babysitting."

"Nice!"

"I wish I had something to do, I might just end up sleeping."

When dinner was over, Valerie wished her good night, wiggling her eyebrows to tease her. Allison went to her room, took a bath and put on a dress that was a little more revealing that what the Imladris ellith liked to wear. She slowly walked to Elladan's bedroom, but on her way, she stopped in front of Elrohir's door. She wondered if their bedrooms were very similar. She put her hand on the handle and slowly opened the door. It was dark, but she was able to see that Elrohir's room was less ornate than Elladan's. He had weapons on the walls, while Elladan had more bookshelves, furniture and paintings. It truly was a warrior's bedroom. His scent was all over the room since he had left it only a few hours before. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Memories of her strolls with Elrohir came to mind. She realized that she would rather spend the evening talking with Elrohir than having fun in Elladan's bed.

She closed the door quietly behind her and stared at Elladan's door, located just in front of Elrohir's. The twin was probably waiting for her. She walked to his door and knocked lightly, foolishly praying that he was not in. The Valar did not grant her wish. He opened his door with a smile, obviously thrilled that she was there so early.

"Come in," he said, pulling her hand before people saw her enter his room. She pulled her hand back.

"Elladan," she whispered pleadingly.

"Is something amiss, Allison?"

"No! Yes!" She took a deep breath. "Elladan, I do not feel like doing this tonight. I am sorry."

"Are you unwell?" he asked, putting his hand on her forehead. Everyone in Imladris now knew that the half-elven were feeling the cold more acutely than elves. They had yet to see of they could have a fever or catch a cold.

"No, I am fine," she declared.

"Maybe you can come back tomorrow?"

"Maybe... but more than likely... no. I am sorry, Elladan. I do not think I can do this anymore. This whole sharing thing... this is not for me."

His hand went from her forehead to her cheek. "I will miss you, Allison. But do not think that I am angry. I admit that I am disappointed, but I am not angry."

"I am sorry," she repeated.

"Please stop apologizing. I hope we can remain friends."

"Yes, yes, I would like that," she replied, relieved. Above all, she did not want to have a disgruntled former lover in Imladris.

"Good night," he told her, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Go to bed. You seem tired."

Allison turned around and walked away.

"Allison?" he called back. "Did you like my brother's room?"

Allison's felt her heart stop. But Elladan only smiled teasingly and closed his door, leaving her alone in the hallway, ashamed of her indiscretion. How had he known about it?

OoOoO

Elladan joined his brother at the borders a few days later and was surprised to see that his twin was in a foul mood. Elrohir barely spoke to him, answering his inquiries with monosyllables, and spent time with other warriors instead of his own brother. Seeing that Elrohir needed space for the first time in centuries, Elladan volunteered to be part of a group that would go scout in the north to see if bands of orcs were gathering in that area.

Around the fire that first night, a warrior remarked that Elrohir's mood had been dark since his last sojourn at the Last Homely House, but the foulness had greatly increased when his twin had arrived a few days before. Elladan would have liked to explain this to his brothers-in-arms, who cared for both brothers, but he himself was at a loss to explain the situation to them.

He took the first watch, and as he sat near the fire, his senses on high alert for any noise or other signs of threat, his thoughts were nevertheless wandering to Elrohir. He suddenly had an epiphany about the cause of his brother's displeasure. Allison's hesitation and later refusal to share his bed, her prying in Elrohir's bedroom... Allison's original uncertainty to resume her relationship with Elladan meant that her heart was conflicted, but that she had ultimately chosen Elrohir. The fact that she knew nothing about Elrohir's room also told him that they had not shared physical intimacy. A first for Elrohir, who usually took ellith to bed and asked their names later, so to speak.

Elladan grinned in the dark. And his brother, fool that he was, was thinking that Allison had returned to his bed the minute he had left for the borders. Elrohir could not stand the sight of his alleged rival, even if he was his twin brother. Elladan toyed with the idea of leaving his brother in doubt as some form of vengeance for not opening up to him about his feelings, but thought better of it. His brother was the most important person for Elladan. As twins, their fëar were intertwined, a communion of spirits, a bond similar to the one shared between fëa-mates. His twin's pain was his own, and he would not let Elrohir suffer needlessly. As soon as he saw his brother again, he would put his mind at ease. Now if only these orcs could show themselves so their mission could end quickly!

OoOoO

Allison was reading a complex book about herbs, using all her concentration to understand the beautiful but convoluted elvish characters. She used a parchment to write down notes with a quill, comparing her former knowledge on natural products properties to what Elrond's book was describing. Her handwriting with a quill was quite pathetic, and there were ink spots all over the page. Valerie had gotten the hang of the quills much faster than Allison, and was openly laughing at her at each possible opportunity.

"I had no idea that sage could be used in the treatment of gingivitis," Allison murmured to herself. Not that any elf suffered from the affliction, but mortals were sometimes coming to Imladris, mainly rangers, and quite frankly, their oral hygiene was seriously lacking. Arathorn, chief of the Dunedain rangers, had come to visit a few weeks before, and for Allison and Valerie, it had been difficult to see how some of the mortals lived in Middle Earth. Their uncleanliness and rudeness had been quite shocking. Although Arathorn had been charming. People in Imladris seemed to like Arathorn, who had been raised in Imladris when he was a child.

"Yes, sage is good to treat gingivitis," a voice said behind her. "It also helps people with arthritis."

"That I knew!" she said, pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of Elrohir. She turned from her desk and smiled at the ellon who was still wearing his warrior's gear. He even still had his sword to his side. He obviously had not stopped to his room before meeting with her. "I was not expecting you to be back for another week."

"I had more... pressing matters. The captain allowed me to leave early," he answered, sitting on a chair beside hers and turning it in her direction.

"Matters more pressing than keeping Imladris safe from an orc invasion?" she asked, wondering what could have brought the ellon back home so quickly.

Her heart skipped a beat when he leaned closer, his face just a few inches away from hers. He immediately realized her nervousness, and smiled knowingly. "Some might not think it is, but I personally think that declaring your love and securing the affection of the elleth you love is a matter of capital importance. What is your opinion on the matter?"

"I think... I think you are right," she said breathlessly.

"I am glad that we are on the same page. There is another matter that also needs clarification between us. It is about my brother -"

"When your brother was back, we did not..." she started, but was unable to continue. It seemed distasteful to talk about the fact that she had shared Elladan's bed with the brother she had not.

"I know, Allison. He told me. It was... a relief." He tentatively put his hand behind her head and brought her face even closer. His eyes were burning hers, so serious he seemed to be suddenly! "I have shared in the past, but no more... I cannot speak for the future, we are just at the beginning of a journey together. But while we are together, I will be with you and only you. I would appreciate if you could promise the same faithfulness."

"I cannot imagine anyone else, since the first evening we spent together in the gardens. My dreams, my thoughts, are only filled by images of you."

"Good," he simply replied. "Now let us make these images a reality." Their lips met in a searing kiss.

They were interrupted when Lord Elrond himself entered the healing room Allison had been studying in. Used to his sons' lack of decorum, he only rolled his eyes and left the room, closing the door behind himself, mumbling about the craziness of youth.

Allison started giggling uncontrollably, and Elrohir joined her in laughter. "Maybe we should take this to a more appropriate location. I understand you were curious about my room?"

Allison blushed violently. "Your brother and you never keep any secrets?"

"Rarely. Would you care to visit my room again, or do you prefer that we go to yours?"

"Yours. Mine is too close to my sister's. If she hears us, there will be no end to the teasing!"

OoOoO

Elrohir was walking aimlessly in one of the many open hallways of the Last Homely House. He had a perfect view of the southern yard, and hearing cries and laughters, he leaned against a pillar to watch the little family playing in the snow. Snow was a rarity in Imladris, but there had been a romantic snowfall the night before, leaving behind two inches of snow that had made the delight of the two elflings. They were currently making snowmen with their mother and aunt, making limbs with twigs, and eyes, noses and mouths with little rocks. Valerie and Allison had sacrificed their scarves so the snowmen would not be cold. The elflings seemed excited and happy, happier than Elrohir ever recalled seeing them. Imladris was a serious place since the attack on Lady Celebrian and her departure to Valinor, and keeping the elflings entertained so they would not irritate the adults around was a full-time task that Valerie mastered with ease. Still, Elrohir was certain that Valerie lacked adult companionship, outside of the presence of Arwen and Allison, who were her usual confidants.

Elrohir looked around, and to his great surprise, he saw that Glorfindel was spying on the family too, hiding behind another pillar not too far away from his own. He was playing distractedly with a blue velvet pouch in his hand, but his eyes never left the family. _So the captain is not as indifferent as he would like us to believe!_ It was worth some teasing, but remembering how he had suffered when he thought that Allison and Elladan were still sharing a bed, he decided not to hurt the ellon who had trained him to become the deadly warrior he now was. Even if Glorfindel was a cold ellon, Elrohir knew what was hidden behind the mask, and he respected and loved his mentor deeply.

He silently walked to Glorfindel, amazed that the captain did not hear his approach.

"A cheerful sight, is it not?" he remarked. Glorfindel started, but did not reply. He calmly observed Elrohir and brought his eyes back to the four half-elves in the yard. They remained silent for a long time, watching the antics of the children and the playful banter between the sisters.

"I understand that Allison and you have become quite close," Glorfindel stated.

"Yes, we are. We have been together for a few weeks now."

"How is that sharing with your brother going?"

Elrohir winced. "It has stopped."

"Good. You know I never approved of it. This can only create misunderstandings and jealousy."

Elrohir remained silent. It had indeed created jealousy. He had worries, but no one to share them with.

"What is it?" Glorfindel inquired. He knew his soldiers well, and his lord's sons more particularly, having participated in their upbringing.

"You are right, I am still jealous of my brother. I keep imagining Allison and him together. I wonder if he satisfied her more than I do, and it is a disturbing thought." Elrohir could not even look at his mentor while he shared his doubts. He was afraid his concerns would sound silly to the captain.

"Why would you even wonder about that? Did she mention anything in this regard?"

"Elladan was the first one of us to be with her. He told me of the things they did together. Without being indiscreet, let me just say that he described unrestrained sexuality from an elleth coming from an advanced world."

"I see. She is more conventional with you, and it worries you," Glorfindel asserted.

"Yes," Elrohir marveled at Glorfindel's perceptiveness. "Any advice?"

"In my humble opinion, you do not have to worry. If your couplings are passionate, and that there is love between you, it is probably more a question of shyness than indifference. She must be afraid that you will think less of her if she shows interest in more... enthusiastic practices. Allison and Valerie speak with Arwen, and do not think that they do not speak about ellyn. Allison must know by now that ellith are traditionally more... modest in the bedroom."

Something clicked in Elrohir's mind. "You think she is afraid I will think her a whore?"

"Perhaps it is her worry. A worry she did not have when it came to Elladan. She did not care for his regard as much as she does for yours. In all cases, you should discuss this with her, not with your captain."

"Your guidance is always precious to me, Glorfindel," Elrohir said to his mentor, putting his hand on his chest in a sign of respect while he bowed his head. He lifted his head back up and grinned mischievously. "Now, it is my turn to give you advice."

"Do I need your advice?" Glorfindel asked, an eyebrow lifted, challenging the younger ellon in front of him. He was millennia older than Elrond's son. What could Elrohir possibly want to give him advice about?

"This is about Valerie." Glorfindel watched him with an indifferent expression. But Elrohir was not fooled. "Allison is not aware, so I assume that you have not told Valerie yet that you are one of the ellyn of the prophecy."

"Prince Legolas and Haldir deserve a fair chance."

"There is no fairness in the matters of the heart. I saw you when we were sleeping in the woods when Valerie escaped. You were caressing her hair while you thought no one was watching. She is here, in front of you. Seize her before it is too late."

"I will consider your words."

"She is very sad and lonely, Glorfindel. She thinks she is physically unappealing because no ellyn will approach her, while they are afraid to displease you. Everyone but her knows you are destined to be her mate. And you ignore her, leading her to believe you find her displeasing while she feels attracted to you."

"Who told you this?"

"Allison, of course! Certainly not Valerie herself! If you keep acting like this, when she meets Prince Legolas and Haldir, all she will remember about you is your coldness. She will choose one of them if you are not careful. I do not know Legolas very well, but I know Haldir because of my numerous stays in Lothlorien. He will not hesitate and will show no scruples. He will snatch her away before you can even blink."

Elrohir left Glorfindel, intending to join the sisters and the elflings. He wanted to spend more time with Allison, become more intimate with her life, including her family. Glorfindel watched as a few minutes later, Elrohir joined the family and a snowball fight started with him and the elflings against the sisters. To Glorfindel's surprise, Valerie and Allison were quite good at this and retaliated with both enthusiasm and viciousness. The volume of noises in the yard grew to levels that had never been reached before, attracting everyone's attention.

Glorfindel could see some servants, counselors, lords and ladies watching the source of the disturbance with slight annoyance. Was he ready to welcome such turmoil in his life?

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the sisters moments, and that you liked Allison's dilemma about Elrond's sons. I want to take a few moments to answers a few questions about the story._

 _LadyLindariel: In my mind, Valerie, her children and her sister are truly half-elves, since they used to be humans before. The transformation they went through gave them many elven characteristics, but didn't make them elves entirely. One of the human characteristics they kept is that they can feel the cold. Their skin can also get tanned, without burning though. When I compare them to Elrond, his grandfather was a man, even if he is called half-elven, he is only ¼ elven, while his children have even less human blood. I imagine that at this point, they have little human characteristics left versus Valerie and her family. I hope this answers your question! Thank you for reviewing._

 _Glassary: yes, Glorfindel likes to have control over his emotions, but it is mostly because he hates being the center of attention, with many people being curious about his previous life and death. Being cold puts up a barrier that curious people will usually not cross…_

 _Paperlanterns86: I hope you are happy with Allison's choice…_

 _: I have other plans for Legolas in this story. Hopefully, you like the choice I made for her!_

 _Aralinn: you will see Valerie's reaction about Glorfindel being one of the prophecy ellyn in about 2 chapters. Stay tuned!_

 _Guest: I am sorry to hear that you don't like Allison in the stories. Although she is not a major character, she always provides support to Valerie during difficult times – this is a benefit for someone arriving in a new world._

 _I don't want to forget the others who left me a review – thank you so much for letting me know your opinion on the previous chapter. I am really looking forward to your comments each time I publish a chapter: foofie01, imurhuckleberry, Laurelin, princessnera, Peridot Eyez, helenaalana and tadah2._


	5. Chapter 5 - Surrender

_Chapter 4 ended with:_

 _Glorfindel watched as a few minutes later, Elrohir joined the family and a snowball fight started with him and the elflings against the sisters. To Glorfindel's surprise, Valerie and Allison were quite good at this and retaliated with both enthusiasm and viciousness. The volume of noises in the yard grew to levels that had never been reached before, attracting everyone's attention._

 _Glorfindel could see some servants, counselors, lords and ladies watching the source of the disturbance with slight annoyance. Was he ready to welcome such turmoil in his life?_

 **Chapter 5 - Surrender**

Allison was babysitting the kids in her own chambers for the night. Valerie had decided to wisely use that opportunity to attempt one last time to seduce Glorfindel. The captain was leaving the next day for two weeks at the borders, and immediately upon his return, they were all leaving for the council where Valerie would meet the three ellyn that could potentially be her mate. She had accepted by then that she truly was part of a prophecy. She knew she would meet three ellyn who would more or less compete for her favors during the council. And although she did not feel like being pushed in the arms of an unknown ellon, if she did find love at that council, she would not refuse it. Chances were that she would immediately feel a bond with at least one of them, if not the three of them.

There was only one problem, and a major one at that. She thought she was in love with the ever aloof and mysterious captain of Imladris. The Balrog Slayer, who had once claimed he was not indifferent to her, had not really made any efforts to speak to her since then, except to organize the training of Phoebe and Adam, who wanted to resume their archery lessons. She wanted to have a relationship with him, even if she could not explain why. They rarely saw each other, and had even more rarely spoken, and as such, she had no idea what his character was truly like, other than his courage and outstanding dedication to the realm. Her attraction was at a whole different level. Thinking about him frequently, she had realized that it had been love at first sight for her. He really had drawn her attention the first time she had seen him, in Elrond's office, observing her with his blue eyes that seemed to be reading directly into her soul. It had grown into something more passionate since he had saved her after her failed escape. The fact that he had risked his life to bring her children to Middle Earth made him even dearer to her heart. He was the only one who had truly made the effort to ensure she would be happy in Imladris, knowing that her separation with her children was an insurmountable obstacle to her well-being.

Tonight, she would give Glorfindel one last chance, and if he didn't take it, she would try to move on. She would try to forget him and open her mind and heart to the three ellyn she would soon meet at the council.

She stood from her seat near the imposing fireplace in the Hall of Fire and slowly walked towards Glorfindel, who was standing on a balcony, staring at the gardens below, not bothered at all by the cold wind of winter. Spring was coming at last, and Valerie and her family would soon be more comfortable outside. She leaned against the door frame, making sure her cloak kept her warm. She was close enough to him that he would hear her whispers, but far enough to ensure their position would not seem suspicious to the people chatting and singing in the hall.

"Lord Glorfindel, a moment of your time if you please? Do not turn around," she requested when he starting turning to face her. He returned his gaze to the garden below, and she watched his broad shoulders in his burgundy tunic, his hair gently flow with the wind. Gods, she was even attracted to him when he was not even facing her. How pathetic. "Tomorrow, you will be leaving for the borders again, and when you return, we will immediately leave for the council. The council where I am supposed to choose a future mate between three ellyn. Months ago, you claimed that you were not indifferent. I have given you all the necessary time and ample opportunities to... court me before I have to make a choice."

"The prophecy..." he started, still staring straight ahead.

"I care not about the prophecy," she cut with humor, rolling her eyes. "I know you think you are being fair to the elven champions, whoever they are. I never wanted to hear their names since I wanted to keep my options open, hoping that the one I felt a connection to would eventually come forward. But you never did. Never," she insisted with a harsh voice, letting her disappointment be known in no uncertain terms.

"I need to wait..."

"If you wait even one more night," she cut again, "I swear in front of the elven gods that you will not get that chance ever again. It is now or never, as we say in my world. My patience is at an end. You know where my apartment is if you wish to discuss. If I do not hear from you tonight... You will watch me being bound to another in a few weeks from now."

She was exaggerating there. She was not planning to come back from the council bound to anyone, but they all seemed to think she would, especially Arwen and her romantic views on the prophecy. At best, she thought she would decide to whom she would bind herself to, and come back to Imladris for the customary one-year betrothal period.

She turned around and bade Lord Elrond and his sons goodnight as she walked near them. She left the hall without a look back, almost certain that Glorfindel would not take the bait. She did not believe anymore that he was not indifferent. He had been avoiding her, there was no other possible reason to explain the fact that she never saw him. Everyone but him spent time with her! Erestor and Lindir spent hours every day with her, asking questions about her world and the fascinating scientific facts she knew. Elladan and Elrohir were talking to her about her children's progress in archery, and even Lord Elrond spent time with her! But Glorfindel was only a shadow she saw once in a while, since he had stopped coming to the dining room to take his meals.

Threatening him tonight had been a desperate move. She was proud, and throwing herself at a male that did not seem to care for her was not something she had particularly enjoyed. But how do you express your intense feelings to someone who was never there, when you had only a few hours left before it was too late? Shamed by her own behavior and her pride wounded, she visited Allison's room, who told her the kids were sleeping already and that she would keep them for the night. Valerie came back to her own apartment to get ready for bed. If there had been modern plumbing in this world, she would have taken a nice, hot bath. But in Imladris, taking a bath meant asking servants to bring her multiple buckets of hot water from the kitchen, and quite frankly, even if the servants would do it without complaining, she was not selfish enough to act on her desire. She quickly washed herself with the water and soap that were always in her room, and put on some of the perfumed cream that Arwen liked to use.

She did her nightly routine very slowly in case Glorfindel would show up, but he did not. She went to bed, and eventually fell asleep after staring at the ceiling for a long, long time, feeling sorry for herself.

She was awakened by a little noise. She sat and looked around, thinking one of her children had come back to her apartment. It regularly happened that one of them would finish the night in her bed after waking from a dream in which she was still missing and presumed dead. She would wake, feeling little arms holding her and she would make room in her bed for the small body seeking comfort. But there was no child in her bed now. She listened attentively, until she heard it again, a light scratch on her door. She put her robe on and silently walked to the door. She opened it slightly and was speechless when she saw Glorfindel standing there, still wearing his clothes from the evening. He did not say anything. Neither did she. She completely opened the door and he entered quickly, looking at the hallway one last time to ensure no one had seen him.

She closed the door and watched him as he started pacing in her boudoir, obviously tormented and unhappy about the situation. She had taken control away from him, and he did not seem to cope well with that. Modern women like Allison and herself were an enigma to these millennia old males.

She walked passed him and sat on her favorite chair, patiently waiting for him to say something. He finally stopped pacing and stood in front of her.

"Each ellon mentioned in the prophecy deserves a fair chance -"

"You repeat yourself," she interrupted him. "I do not intend to let an old parchment found by Mithrandir years ago dictate how I should live my life. And to be quite honest, I do not intend to give you this kind of power over my life either. You once said you were not indifferent. Now is your chance to prove it to me – on my terms." Now that he had shown up, her hope and self-confidence were quickly rising. She stood and walked closer to him, until she was close enough to touch him. "And my terms are the following: you spend this night with me, or you return to your apartment and never set foot in mine ever again."

He stared at her, looking quite unable to believe she had issued such an inappropriate ultimatum. But Valerie was tired of propriety. Allison had never been appropriate, and looked what it had brought her – blissful happiness in the arms of Elrohir, an ellon Valerie liked very much. She wanted the same sort of companionship for herself.

For once, Glorfindel was showing his emotions, his face an open book for her to read for the first time. Astonishment, indecision, torment, she saw all these in quick succession on his noble features. He must have been greatly shaken by her earlier statement to forget his usual control. She gave him the last blow by opening her robe and letting it fall on the floor, revealing the lacy night gown she was wearing underneath, which was barely hiding her abundant charms.

She walked backwards in the direction of her room, stretching out her hand to him, silently asking him to follow her. One instant, he was still as one of the beautiful statues in the gardens. The next moment, he pounced on her, lifted her and carried her to the bed in her private room.

"This is against all my principles," he murmured, his lips almost touching hers.

"Principles need to evolve," she whispered seriously. She truly did not want him to feel guilty about this. Why could it no be simple like between the relationship between Allison and Elrohir?

Without answering, and perhaps, in agreement with her words, he took her lips in a passionate, forceful kiss. She liked the taste of his mouth, sweet as if he had eaten berries before coming to her apartment. She wanted more of that, and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. His hands started roaming feverishly all over her body, discovering her curves and the softness of her skin while he pillaged her mouth like there was no tomorrow. And maybe he thought that there was no tomorrow for them. But it would not be the case, she would see to it.

Her hands reached his head to ensure he wouldn't stop kissing her, and she caressed his scalp, marveling at the silkiness of his fair hair. It was strange to see that such a lethal warrior had baby-soft hair. He moaned softly and seemed startled by his own abandon.

His lips left her mouth to trail kisses from her cheek to her neck while slowly lowering the strap of her nightgown to uncover her left breast. His hand gently followed the curve of her shoulder, barely avoided her breast until he reached her waist, and came back up to lightly touch her hardened nipple. He stopped nibbling her neck and moved back to look at her in the semi-darkness, his hand on her hip, slowly getting closer to her naked thigh.

"Gods, you are as beautiful as I thought you would be." She had seen his eyes trail on her exposed breast and on her thighs, barely covered by the nightgown that only needed to be lifted an inch to reveal her most intimate parts. There was a hunger in his eyes, something that was almost scary if it were to be unleashed. She loved it, making love to a man that had all this pent-up sexual energy.

"I wish I could say the same, but you are wearing an awful lot of clothing," she teased. He knelt on the bed and removed his burgundy tunic and his undershirt, only keeping his leggings. She had no idea how he had removed his soft leather boots without her noticing.

She quickly removed her nightgown to accelerate the proceedings. "Are you not going to remove that too?" she asked, pointing at his leggings. He looked hesitant once again after the short interruption, and she needed to nip that in the bud.

She knelt in front of him and slowly caressed his completely hairless chest. His skin was so warm against her cold hands! She had never been with a man who had such developed musculature. It was a very erotic thing to graze her nails on his skin, from his abdominal muscles to his pectorals, making sure not to miss his hardened pink nipples. He closed his eyes to savor the moment. She leaned in and took one of them in her mouth, sucking on it gently. She could feel his erection, and his slight movements to create friction. But she knew he could still change his mind, and needed to let him know why she wanted him in her bed. Her mouth left his chest and her hands went to his face, and when he opened his eyes, she gazed into them.

"Glorfindel, I want you not only as a lover, but also as a companion and a friend. I want to know who you are, what you think, what you like. But at the moment, what I desire most is to know how it feels like to make love with you."

"I think I would like to know that too. All of that," he specified.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she laughed, feeling thrilled. Her hand immediately reached his groin where she stroked his very hard and very painful length. "Please tell me you are not a virgin!" she teased.

He snorted, but within moments, she was lying on the bed with a fully naked ellon between her legs.

"I need you now," she whispered, knowing they would have plenty of time for preliminaries at another time. She was still afraid that he would change his mind, and if she were honest with herself, she knew that the moment he entered her, there would be no turning back for him. Or for her, for that matter. He had occupied all her thoughts for months now, both awake and asleep. She wanted him like she had desired no other before. The anticipation had almost driven her insane. And there he was, lying on top of her, his skin on hers, his hot elfhood against her thigh. She wanted him, needed him inside her to create that delicious friction she had been dreaming of for so long. "Glorfindel, take me now," she feverishly begged.

To her utter delight, he aligned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed inside. For a moment, she felt almost painfully full since it had been so long since the last time she had made love. He felt her stiffen and immediately stopped his movement.

"Valerie, are you well?" he asked with worry. He started pulling out but she put her hands on his bottom to still his movement.

"Yes, I am perfectly fine, I just need a little adjusting time. You are not little!" she commented with a half smile.

He tenderly kissed the corner of her mouth in a ticklish manner until he felt her smile completely. Using the hands that were still on his bottom, she pulled him back completely inside her, showing him that she was ready. He started to thrust gently at first, but soon realizing that she was not averse to a little more strength, he started pounding into her, each movement feeling like a blissful shock to her. She was arched on the bed, begging him through ragged breath to keep going, to give her more.

They kissed messily, panting and sighing while the pleasure was building. She thought she heard a groan coming out of his mouth, but then he hid his face against her neck and the bliss became so intense, so overwhelming, that she forgot about him still trying to hide his emotions from her. She cried out when she reached her peak, and felt his penis pulsate inside her while she felt moisture between her legs.

He remained lying on top of her, his face still against her neck. She caressed his long hair, wondering if he was okay or not. Why was he not talking, why was he not even looking at her? Was he angry that she had pushed him to make love hastily, without any preliminaries, which may have given him the opportunity to change his mind? Did he have any regrets?

"I can almost hear you think," he whispered in her ear. He moved back and lied beside her, looking at her frowning face. She had experienced a strange emptiness when his elfhood had left her core, as if... being physically connected was how they truly were supposed to be.

"Why are you worried?" he inquired.

"I am hoping that you do not regret what we did," she answered.

"I always wondered how soft your pink lips would be, what they would taste like," he said. He caressed her lower lip with a finger. "I wondered what sounds you would make when I made love to you. Your scent... is something I will not be able to live without, I am afraid."

"I can live with that." She stretched languidly like a cat and he pulled her into his arms.

She found a comfortable position and quickly fell asleep when he caressed her hair, the ultimate relaxation for her. How did he know that? Had he seen Allison play with her hair sometimes, when she was stressed or sad? She dismissed the idea as foolish and closed her eyes, comforted by his warmth in her usually cold bed.

She woke in the middle of the night, feeling Glorfindel's body moving against hers. She did not have time to gather her wits before he violently trashed and she was thrown out of the bed, heavily falling on the floor and hitting her head on a corner of the nightstand. Glorfindel woke with a shout and sat in the bed, eyes wide with terror.

He had completely lost his countenance, between finding himself with someone in the bed and the nightmare that had once again tormented his night. Valerie sat back on the bed, stroking her temple where there certainly would be a bruise the next day. Since there was no blood despite the pain, her attention went back to the ellon sharing her bed. She slowly caressed his face, making sure he was still not in the throws of the nightmare. She remembered the nightmare he had had when they had slept in the woods the previous fall.

"Glorfindel," she murmured. "All is well."

He remained unresponsive. She sat closer and started caressing his naked back with her fingertips, a light touch that she thought might be comforting.

"Your hair," he whispered, his eyes still haunted by whatever he had seen in his dreams, "it is the color of a balrog's fire." It certainly did not help that the only source of light in the room was the dying fire.

"Perhaps it is," she admitted, knowing balrogs were creatures of fire. "But it is also the color of a beautiful sunset on the horizon. The color of the lilies in the gardens, the ones that Arwen likes to put in her father's study. The color of the leaves in the fall, when the wind blows and they float around before falling to the ground. There are some very beautiful things that are red like my hair."

She was still caressing his back with her fingertips, and she could feel that his heartbeat was slowing, that he was starting to recover from his nightmare. Which meant his usual cold mask would soon make a reappearance, and with that, his aloofness and probable shame for having shown his weakness in front of an elleth he barely knew.

He looked at her, and in the dimmed light, he saw the newly forking bruise on her temple.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"It is probably just a little bruise," she assumed, not having seen her face in front of a mirror. "It is not even painful anymore," she lied with conviction.

"I am a dangerous ellon when asleep! I should never have spent the night here with you!"

He tried to push her away from him, but she held on to his neck.

"I wanted you to stay the night! I want all of you, nightmares included!" She pushed away his hands and successfully sat on his lap, putting her arms around his neck. "I know a great way to get rid of bad dreams. The perfect remedy. You will like it so much that you will be looking forward to the nightmares," she stated lightly.

"You are insane! These nightmares..." he stopped, unable to describe the horror.

"I can only imagine," she murmured. She kissed his lips lightly, snaking an arm down his torso, reaching his groin to tenderly caress his elfhood.

"What are you doing?"

"You know what I am doing. I want to make love again."

"I need to go back to my apartment. My patrol will be leaving at dawn."

"Oh no, you are not leaving, not now," she insisted. Her hand continued stroking his penis, quickly growing hard under her attentions despite his protest that he needed to leave. Obviously, his body had needs that his intellect had neglected for far too long. Before he even had time to find another argument, she had impaled herself on his shaft, and he moaned helplessly.

She started to move slowly, rocking languorously on his groin while she held on to his shoulders.

"Do you feel how we are a perfect fit?" she whispered, her lips almost touching his. "So much friction, such warmth, oh gods," she continued, talking so he would concentrate on her words and movements rather than thinking of balrogs, elves being slaughtered and a city burning to the ground.

His breathing was shallow, she could feel how aroused he was. There would be a time for him to describe his nightmares. She wanted to know what he had gone through, she wanted to help him if she could. She knew he had had no serious relationships since his return from Valinor, and therefore no elleth had truly been able to support him.

She kept rocking her hips until he finally showed evidence that he was there completely, in both mind and body, no longer haunted by his bad dream. He grabbed her waist and started directing her sensual movements, increasing the speed, even thrusting upwards to meet her in a dance that became more feverish with each passing minute. He moved a hand between them and massaged her swollen clitoris, immediately rewarded by her intense reaction to his touch.

She came before he did, tilting her head back and moaning his name between the sighs of pleasure he was listening to intently. When she came back from her high, she tenderly kissed his lips. "I think I am in love with you, Glorfindel, Lord of the Golden Flower."

He did not answer, but in all honesty, she had not expected a reply from such a closed ellon who never showed his emotions.

He started moving her waist again to reach his own completion, but then, in a quick and unexpected movement, he had turned them around and they were both on their knees, her back to him, his arm holding her body against his chest. He reentered her and resumed his thrusting movements, his mouth gently kissing and biting her neck and shoulders.

"Oh gods, I will come again," she marveled, feeling each and every delicious movement of his elfhood inside her core. "More," she begged, not in the least ashamed in this moment of incredible passion. Glorfindel didn't seem to mind, acquiescing to her request while his hand was expertly caressing her bud again. His ragged breaths in her ear were very erotic, and then, he finally let out a long groan that told Valerie he was finally lowering his barriers with her.

She put her arm behind his neck, wanting even more contact between them.

"I am almost there," she mumbled incoherently.

"Me too," she thought she heard back.

And then it happened, a shattering orgasm that had them hold on to each other while they rode the wave in perfect harmony, closer to each other than they had ever been with anyone else in their lives. It left them sated but exhausted. Glorfindel tenderly helped Valerie to lie back on the bed, and she fell asleep in his arms before he could say a word. He realized that she needed a lot more sleep than he did. He knew he would not fall asleep again before dawn.

He also wanted to leave before Valerie's children woke and found him in her bed. What had happened this night with Valerie would remain between her and him. Hopefully, she would choose him at the council. He briefly wondered if she would be angry that he had never told her he was one of the potential mates of the prophecy. He pushed the thought away. He would deal with the issue if it ever came to that. For now, he had his own guilt to deal with. He had had a most passionate night with her, and he knew that his heart belonged to her for good. There was no turning back, not after this. Not after she had seen him at his most vulnerable and had seemed to understand his constant torment caused by memories of his prior life.

He may have robbed from Prince Legolas of Greenwood and Haldir of Lothlorien the opportunity to mate with Valerie. Maybe she would choose one of them despite this night, but he hoped not. He wanted to secure her hand at all costs, even if Lord Celeborn and the Elvenking would want him to be punished for his fault. He was willing to pay the price. He would pay it gladly if it meant he could be with her.

He looked at the elleth in his arms for a while, before realizing that it was time for him to go back to his apartment if he wanted to avoid getting caught by the servants or her children. He gave a kiss to the bruise she had on her temple, and got dressed silently. He left her apartment and walked to his own, located in the same aisle. He made it without being seen, a relief since it would have caused issues he was not ready to deal with at that time.

As he got ready for his journey to the borders, preparing a few changes of clothing, a thought occurred to him, something he felt like he needed to do. He found the box beneath a pile of clothes, purposely hidden so he would not see it frequently. He opened it and observed the golden pendant and chain that had belonged to all the Ladies of the Golden Flower. His family crest, the golden flower, was engraved in gold and mithril. The pendant was heavy, the chain thick, the design of the First Age definitely out of style, but it was a family heirloom he cherished. He remembered when his naneth had given it to him when he had been reborn, asking him to give it to the elleth of his choice. He wanted to give it to Valerie, even if they were not bound. She was now the owner of his heart, even if he had been unable to say the words. Giving her the pendant would rectify the situation.

He left his apartment and discreetly he went back to hers, where she was still asleep. He watched her for a long time, taking the risk that he would get caught by someone. He could not resist touching her fire hair, so beautiful, so enthralling. He left the pendant on a pillow for her to see as soon as she opened her eyes. The crest on the pendant would easily identify who had given her this piece of jewelry... She would recognize it as being the same than the one on the breast plate of his armor.

He left with his warriors a few minutes later, knowing he would only see her in two weeks, when their delegation was going to leave Imladris to attend the council. He hoped her feelings would be unchanged...

* * *

A/N: Glorfindel finally surrendered to Valerie after she gave him an ultimatum. Was his capitulation up to your expectations? I always imagined the nightmares Glorfindel would have after his horrifying first death – this is something Valerie will have to live with too...

What do you think the impact of their affair will be on the council happening in the next chapter? I can promise you, it will not be a peaceful meeting with the other realms!

Many, many thanks to LadyLindariel, Phoxatol, glassary (Glorfindel finally followed Elrohir's advice!), Paperlanterns86, , Aralinn (no need to slap poor Glorfindel now!), Pennieyoung, anger897 and princessnera (Valerie's confidence is now fully restored).


	6. Chapter 6 - The Council

_Chapter 5 ended with:_

 _He left the pendant on a pillow for her to see as soon as she opened her eyes. The crest on the pendant would easily identify who had given her this piece of jewelry... She would recognize it as being the same than the one on the breast plate of his armor._

 _He left with his warriors a few minutes later, knowing he would only see her in two weeks, when their delegation was going to leave Imladris to attend the council. He hoped her feelings would be unchanged..._

 **Chapter 6 – The Council**

Glorfindel, as captain of the Imladris guard, had been riding ahead of their delegation, his warriors encircling the lords and ladies that were to attend the council. He was once in a while doing rounds to speak to his warriors, reminding them that only absolute vigilance was acceptable. That was when he could see Valerie, her children and her sister Allison, who had also joined the delegation. Everyone assumed that should Valerie choose to bond with Haldir or Prince Legolas, her children would follow her to her new realm. No one really knew what would happen with Allison should her sister leave, except Elrohir and Allison herself. Before their departure, Elrohir had asked her to clarify her intentions in the hypothetical case that Valerie would move to Lothlorien or Greenwood. Her answer had not pleased him in the least. Although she loved him, Valerie and her children were her only family, and she refused to let them leave without her for an unknown realm. For a reason he could not fathom, she was very protective of her family, as if Valerie needed her support and protection. Allison seemed to think that Valerie was a fragile elleth, a ridiculous notion when he thought of Valerie's strong will! Allison's only concession had been that it would not be a permanent separation. She would eventually return to Imladris if he still wanted to be with her. She had, in a sense, given him his freedom back, although it had been obvious to him that it had been a most painful decision for her.

Elrohir's somber mood had been noticed by Glorfindel, who wondered if it had anything to do Valerie. They had left Imladris three weeks before, and since he had been at the borders two weeks prior to their departure, it was now more than a month ago that he had been alone with Valerie, during that night he could not forget. They had had polite public exchanges during which he had not displayed his particular interest for the elleth who was going to meet potential mates very shortly. But he always made sure that her tent was installed next to his, that she ate around the same fire. If he could not speak to her privately, he would at least make sure that they were as close as possible.

They had crossed the mountain pass without meeting any orcs, a relief considering the violence and frequency of the attacks in the past few months. They arrived at the agreed-upon location a few days later, their Greenwood and Lothlorien kin already waiting for them. The elven tents were made of greenish fabrics that could almost be unseen from afar, at least by non-elven eyes. There were approximately twenty spacious tents, and horses all over the valley. Scouts had been posted in strategic positions to ensure their gathering would not be interrupted by undesirable visitors.

Valerie had been riding in the middle of the delegation, Adam sitting in front her while Phoebe had been with Allison. She had been hoping that she could rest before having to meet all these unknown people, but it was not meant to be. They had been identified already, and many elves were staring at her and her children when they dismounted. Already, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were approaching to welcome their son-in-law and grandchildren, but Lord Elrond had asked Valerie to stay close for the official introductions. A few tents away, the Elvenking and his son were waiting to also greet the newcomers.

If the rulers of Lothlorien were furious with their son-in-law about his deception, they had obviously reconciled in the correspondence between the realms over the last few months. How had Lord Elrond justified his and Mithrandir's actions, no one knew, and no one would ever know. The discussions were cordial, at least in front of the other elves.

Glorfindel discreetly observed Valerie while standing beside his lord. She looked exhausted, and Allison took charge of the children, gathering them around her and ensuring that they were not showing their impatience to the lords and ladies around them. Lord Elrond and his children talked for a moment with the rulers of Lothlorien, having a pleasant conversation while his Valerie was standing in the cool wind of spring. Despite her tiredness, she looked glorious in that dark blue cloak, her hair attached in a single braid, surrounded by her twin elflings. They all had rosy cheeks because of the cold temperature, their fiery hair shining in the sunlight, they had this unique look that caught the eye, and Valar, how he hoped they would become his family!

The Elvenking and his son finally joined them, and the pleasantries started all over again, with more strain since the Greenwood elves were not as sociable as their counterparts. Glorfindel could barely contain his impatience. Could they not see that Valerie's family was tired and needed to rest?

Standing near his lord and lady, Haldir was staring at Valerie with barely concealed interest. The Elvenking was not following the conversation, also staring at the family with a frown. Obviously, the king of Greenwood was not very enthusiastic about the prophecy. For Glorfindel, it would be one less possibility to worry about if Greenwood decided not to make a claim on Valerie and her children. If only Haldir did not have interest written all over his face!

Glorfindel left the rulers and gave orders to his soldiers to start putting the tents up, and that task was well underway when he came back and stood closer to Valerie than he had been before. She looked ill at ease, not well, in fact. Was she nervous? Beside her, Allison started whispering to her vehemently, and soon, Valerie seemed to agree with something Allison had said.

Valerie's sister walked to Lord Elrond, and apologizing to the elven leaders, asked to speak to him privately. Elrond walked a little further away and Allison seemed to explain something about Valerie. The Lord of Imladris accepted with a nod, and came back announcing that Lady Valerie and her children were exhausted by the journey and introductions would have to wait for the next morning.

Allison had dragged her sister and her children in their tent already, and Glorfindel felt much better knowing she was hidden away from prying eyes.

"When will you tell Lord Elrond?" Allison whispered to her sister in English, while making sure that Valerie was lying down. "You are at least five weeks pregnant! In your state, you should not ride so much, and even be here for this masquerade! Can you imagine the reaction of the elven leaders once they hear about this?"

"Hush!" Valerie replied. "I am already in deep trouble. I need to find a way to announce this to Lord Elrond. I must not cause _him_ some trouble!"

"I would appreciate knowing who is this mysterious _him_ you are protecting. And to think I thought you were in love with Captain Glorfindel. He doesn't even look at you! Valar! I cannot even begin to imagine the reaction of the people here once they learn that you have been having fun while they all expected you to remain chaste until some prophecy male claimed you."

"When you say it like that, it makes me feel like a whore. I told you it was only one night!"

"I'm sorry! I am so worried about you. You were supposed to give them prophecy children, and you are pregnant with... a child they will consider a bastard!"

Valerie stared at her sister, and suddenly, emptied the content of her stomach on the ground. Allison cleaned everything without complaining, which reflected the extent of her worry for her sister.

"I will make sure the children take a nap, try to rest," she told her sister, caressing her damp forehead.

Valerie lied down on a cot, while Allison started the difficult task of convincing the children to rest too. She was not successful. She eventually took them outside to practice their archery. The two elflings were quite a sight with their little bows and quivers, following Allison who was looking for Elrohir to ask where they could practice. It so happened that the Lothlorien and Greenwood elves had setup a practice field while waiting for the Imladris delegation, and Allison brought them there with her.

Elrohir brought a target closer, and the two elflings practiced for a little while under the incredulous stares of the warriors who did not know them. The news that one of the children was a female soon spread like wildfire, and many curious elves showed up only to watch her, Prince Legolas amongst them.

"She is very talented," he told Elrohir. "So is her brother."

"Yes, they are. Their mother practices archery too, and they wanted to learn like her. They are also showing interest for sword fighting. In a few months, we will start their sword training."

"That is, if they remain in Imladris," Legolas remarked, his eyes never leaving Phoebe and Adam. "Their naneth still has to choose."

"You are right," Elrohir admitted. "Wherever they will live, they should start sword training soon. They are physically capable of training with small swords."

"Will she remain in Imladris?" Legolas asked, very perceptive, discreetly pointing at Allison with his chin.

Had Legolas noticed the glances exchanged between them or had he already heard rumors in the last hour? "I am not certain, but I hope so," Elrond's son admitted. Prince Legolas and him had had a friendly enough relationship in the past centuries for Elrohir to confide in him.

"Still sharing with your brother?"

"No. Not anymore."

"I never thought I would see the day when you would want an elleth all to yourself."

"Stranger things have happened. What about you? Ready to settle down?"

"I am not sure. I shall meet Lady Valerie later tonight. We will see."

Later that evening, all the lords and ladies were gathered in the biggest tent, and Valerie had been introduced to Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, and King Thranduil, an ellon she had immediately disliked. She had also met Legolas, the king's son, and Haldir, the Lothlorien Marchwarden, two elven champions who could potentially be her mate. She had yet to meet the Imladris champion. Glorfindel was haughtily standing in a corner, showing no interest in the proceedings. Wondering why there was a delay in presenting her the potential mate from Imladris, she whispered her question to Arwen.

"But he is here," Arwen claimed. She smiled when she saw Valerie's puzzlement. "With your unwillingness to know the identify of the prophecy ellyn, you do not know who is he while he is in this tent as we speak!"

Looking around, Valerie could only identify three ellyn from Imladris who were still single. Elladan, the heir, the serious twin who was friendly but no more with Valerie, Elrohir, the prankster, on which Allison had already made some sort of claim, and... Glorfindel.

Narrowing her eyes, she observed the captain intensely. The lying jerk. Feeling her eyes on him, he returned the stare. She could feel the heavy Golden Flower pendant between her breasts, hidden under her dress, and since the chain was apparent in her cleavage, he knew very well that she was wearing it.

What an awkward situation. There she was, having to pretend that she would choose a mate like in some speed dating event back in her world, while she was pregnant from a prophecy ellon who had given her a family heirloom after a night of passion. A tormented ellon she loved with all her heart. And a liar, if lying by omission was truly a lie.

"Your children are very interesting," Haldir said, appearing beside her, giving her a glass of wine.

Valerie barely contained her annoyance. He was gorgeous, like every ellon she had met, and he had the impressive shape of a warrior, like Glorfindel. He was tall, with gray-blueish eyes, although his hair was silvery blonde, almost white. He too, carried himself with the supreme confidence of a warrior rarely defeated. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that had she not met Glorfindel first, her interest for the Marchwarden would have been very high. Very. But it was too late. The weight of the pendant around her neck kept reminding her that her heart was already taken.

At least, Prince Legolas did not really seemed interested. He was looking at her with a frown most of the time, just like his cold adar. If she thought that Glorfindel was aloof, then the Elvenking was by far his master. The king of Greenwood had some sort of icy beauty to him, with his silvery hair and blue eyes. He looked pissed most of the time and had not smiled once since she had first seen him. How gorgeous would he be with a smile on his face! Probably no one living had ever seen that sight.

"I suggest that we organize a friendly tournament between Legolas, Haldir and Glorfindel tomorrow," Lord Celeborn proposed, to Valerie's complete horror. Were they planning to marry her to the winner of a combat?

"What a great idea!" Lord Elrond replied with enthusiasm. "What will the prize be?" He turned in Valerie's direction and saw her consternation. "Sweet Elbereth, young one, did you think it would be you?" he asked in disbelief.

"I admit that for a moment, I thought it was your intent..." she sheepishly said.

Lord Celeborn and Lord Elrond laughed out loud while Arwen gave her a quick hug. "You are silly," the elleth murmured to Valerie. "You know the choice is completely up to you and the ellon of your choice."

People started chatting again about this impromptu tournament and establishing the rules, when Haldir put his hand on her arm. "I would not have refused the prize if it had been you."

"I would never have accepted to be the prize of a tournament," she replied, unsuccessfully trying to remove her arm from his grasp.

"I will nevertheless fight fiercely for you, if only to show you who is the better champion."

He was much too close to her, and would he ever let go of her arm? This was getting uncomfortable, and she did not want to offend him by being rude.

"Marchwarden, I believe Lady Valerie wishes for you to remove your hand from her arm," Glorfindel said out loud, his eyes burning dangerously.

Valerie rolled her eyes and pulled her arm violently enough for Haldir to finally release his hold under the stares of everyone in attendance. Glorfindel's demeanor did not lighten up.

"Such animosity," Elrohir said lightly, trying to deflect the questioning stares on Glorfindel. "Keep this for the tournament tomorrow! It will be most interesting to see Imladris best Lothlorien!"

"It is always saddening to discover your grandchild is delusional," Celeborn remarked with sarcasm.

It took a long time before Haldir and Glorfindel stopped glaring at each other with extreme dislike. It dampened the mood of the evening, and people started going back to their own tents shortly after.

OoOoO

"Adar?" Legolas asked, entering the tent of the king. "May I interrupt for a moment?"

Legolas had noticed that his father was not reading the book he held in his hands, but that he had been deep in thoughts, his eyes fixated on a panel of his tent. Thranduil's eyes turned to his son, and he silently allowed his son to sit, indicating a chair in front of him.

"What can I do for you, ion nin – _my son_?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Lady Valerie."

The Elvenking stared at his son, wondering what was going on in his mind. He had noticed how Haldir and Glorfindel looked at the half-elven elleth, and had been relieved not to see the same flame in his son's eyes. He was not interested to have a daughter-in-law that was half-elven, and coming from a different world to make matters worse. A woman who had children already! His son was his heir, he would become king one day after he sailed, and to Thranduil, Valerie was no queen material.

But Legolas was concerned, that much was obvious. There was something else going on, and he hoped his son was planning to share what troubled him. Legolas was like his adar and did not like to share his deepest thoughts with others.

"Do you feel a connection with her?"

"Yes... Well, I am not sure."

"You are not sure?" Thranduil's frown deepened. And to think he had been congratulating himself that Legolas would not marry this Valerie a few moments before!

"How do you recognize your fëa-mate? How is this supposed to feel like?" He looked at his father with pleading eyes, then frowned. "I am sorry, Adar. I forgot that you have yet to meet your fëa-mate."

Thranduil had been forced into an arranged marriage by his father Oropher many millennia before. A beautiful elleth from a prominent family of Lindon who brought prestige to the newly crowned Greenwood family. The binding had not been a happy one. Bereth had already given her heart to another ellon but had been forced into the marriage too. She had always blamed Thranduil, telling him he should have stood up to his adar and refused to bind with her. But Oropher had used all his persuasion on his son, even threatening to exile him if he did not comply. So he had given in, and had taken for wife a bitter elleth who had given him the cold shoulder for decades.

They had eventually consummated the marriage, and thankfully, Legolas had been quick to make an appearance, removing the necessity of further physical relations between the spouses. Bereth had died when her escort had been attacked during a trip to Lake-town, leaving behind an elfling that had been too young to truly remember his mother.

Legolas knew that his parents had not been fëa-mates, and had never blamed his father for what had happened. It was something they never talked about. He knew that when his mother was reborn, his father and her would not get married again like true fëa-mates did. Arranged marriages ended when one spouse died, and all links between the spouses were cut at that point. His father was free to take another wife, but Legolas doubted that his father wanted to burden himself with another elleth. And truthfully, which elleth would want to bind herself to his cold, passive-aggressive father?

"I can guide you nevertheless, ion nin," Thranduil replied, his frown deepening ever more, if it was even possible. "Please tell me what you feel."

"I think she is beautiful, that is not the issue. But... I feel like I should be close to her, I want to be near her, but... I am not interested in her. Not _that_ way. I do not want to bed her, I do not want to know her most secret thoughts, I do not want to spend time with her! I just want to... be close to her?"

Thranduil stared at him for a long time, until Legolas started feeling uncomfortable.

"Do you mean physically close to her?" the king eventually asked.

"Yes. Physically as in standing beside her. Not as-"

"I understand. Maybe you think that she is too young for you? After all, she is only 30, and for us elves, it is still considered childhood."

Legolas snorted. "You truly think that I see her as an elfling?"

Thranduil had to admit that it was an insane notion. Valerie had the body of a woman, and a very tempting one at that. There was no way Legolas' soul would confuse her for a child. Not when she had her own children walking around her. Her own children...

"Do you think it means she is my fëa-mate?" Legolas insisted, interrupting his train of thought.

"I do not think so. But do not close your mind to the idea. Maybe your fëa is slow to recognize her..."

OoOoO

Despite Valerie's numerous protests in the evening, the tournament took place the next day. She was standing in the crowd, pushed to the front row by Arwen to ensure she would not miss a glimpse of the fight that was going to take place between Glorfindel and Haldir. Prince Legolas was to fight against the winner later on. Of course, they would use dull blades, but they could still hurt each other, and if she trusted the glint in their eyes, they were at least intending to humiliate the other in front of their lords and ladies. Their animosity of the previous night had not faded.

Glorfindel was standing in the middle of the circle, regal, awaiting the signal that Elladan would give as the elected referee. Haldir was making a show of warming up, making sure to look at his advantage. She had never seen a narcissistic ellon before meeting him. It was a bit unsettling.

"He is not conceited," Lady Galadriel murmured beside her. "At least, not before he first saw you. Haldir is a very serious ellon, responsible of the safety of Lothlorien. I trust him with my life. I can only assume that it is you who unsettle him so."

Valerie discreetly grabbed her sister's hand, feeling her own stomach unsettling.

"Are you well?" the Lady of Light asked her.

"I admit I do not like the thought of men fighting, even if this is a friendly tournament." Valerie did not like either how Lady Galadriel could read in all their minds. How did the people of Lothlorien handle this?

"You must get used to it. This is our ellyn's favorite pastime. Life here is not as entertaining as it was in your world, from what I have seen in my mirror! Do you wish to sit?"

"No, but thank you for your concern," Valerie said, concentrating on keeping control over her stomach, trying hard not to think of the true reason for her faintness.

Lady Galadriel smiled gently and went to stand closer to her husband. Valerie felt another wave in her stomach, and gave a panicked look at Allison, who could do nothing to help. The nausea was always difficult in the morning, but somehow, watching Glorfindel getting ready to fight with an ellon who wanted to impress her was making her feel much worse. He was going to fight this less-than-friendly match because she did not have the courage to tell Lord Elrond about her state. She quickly looked at Lady Galadriel, but the lady was busy speaking with her husband and Lindir. She had not caught that last thought, thank the Valar!

Glorfindel and Haldir were now facing each other, ready to pounce, and all the spectators were holding their breath, wondering who would attack first between the reborn captain of Imladris and the Marchwarden who had to prove his worth to Valerie. Haldir suddenly moved to his right, trying to hit Glorfindel's arm in a swift movement, but the captain was ready for him and avoided the Marchwarden's blade. The fight continued at great speed, and Valerie could barely follow the attacks and counterattacks. She saw Glorfindel received at least three good hits that looked quite painful, but Haldir did not fare any better.

Just as she saw Haldir kick Glorfindel very hard in the stomach, a dizzy Valerie felt her knees weaken, and she would have fallen heavily to the ground if her sister had not caught her on time, slowing down her fall. Allison knelt on the grass, Valerie's body abandoned in her arms, begging people to leave and give some space to Valerie.

Valerie knew she was in deep trouble when she opened her eyes and realized she had fainted for a few moments. There was a circle of people around Allison and her, contemplating her with worry and puzzlement. Elves did not faint unless they were injured. And everyone knew she was not injured. Valerie could faintly hear Phoebe and Adam calling for her. She realized that Glorfindel and Haldir had stopped fighting as they were standing in the group of people surrounding her.

Lord Elrond took her in his arms and lifted her from the ground, asking her how she was feeling. She leaned her head against his neck, closing her eyes, but not before she saw Lady Galadriel stare at her, with the Elvenking glaring at her behind the Lady of Light.

Elrond led her to her tent and helped her to lie down on her cot. He had only allowed Allison in the tent, and he wondered why Valerie's sister was standing in a corner, a guilty look on her face.

Elrond straightened his back and turned to Allison. "You will tell me what I do not know. Immediately."

Allison looked stricken. He waited a few moments for his newest healer to answer him, but she was only desperately looking at her sister. Understanding he would not get anywhere with Allison for now, and knowing there were many lords and ladies waiting to hear what was going on, he turned to Valerie and slowly caressed her hair.

"How are you feeling, my child?"

"I think I will throw up," Valerie mumbled. Elrond only had time to bring a basket near her when Valerie relieved her stomach. As she was bent over the basket, the pendant came out of her corsage and the lord saw the golden flower crest in gold and mithril. Valerie quickly grabbed it in her hand to hide it and put it back in her corsage. Elrond gave her his handkerchief to wipe her lips and gave the basket to Allison, asking her to leave them alone. He sat near Valerie's bed. She had regained some colors by then.

"I am no idiot, Valerie."

"I apologize, my Lord, I never meant to imply you were."

"Why did you not tell me? I would never have brought you all the way here, riding every day, if I had known about your condition! I assume the father is the ellon who gave you the pendant?"

"Yes."

"If he was not the greatest warrior alive, I would send him right back to Valinor! How could he make us go through this masquerade while he knew you were already with child!"

"He does not know," she murmured.

"I beg your pardon?"

"No one but Allison and I know about my pregnancy. And now you."

He stared at her for a long time. "Do you love him?"

"I do."

"Does he love you?"

"He never said so."

"But you are wearing the pendant that the ladies of the House of the Golden Flower have been wearing since the First Age?"

"He gave it to me."

"I see. Your pregnancy is also very revealing."

"How so?"

He reflected for a few moments before telling her that he would let Glorfindel explain. "Now, we need to get you out of this mess. There are many people outside who are worried, including two elflings who are waiting to come in with my daughter. Do you want to go outside and make the announcement yourself?"

Valerie blanched at his suggestion. Elrond smiled with kindness. "Oh well, let me take care of this problem. After all, I cannot deny that although it did not happen the way I expected, I am glad to know that you have found your way to Glorfindel's heart. I was getting quite desperate about that!"

"You are not mad?"

"No, I am not. Now try to get some rest. We will leave for Imladris as soon as this mess is sorted."

"We are going back home?"

"Yes, we are," he confirmed. He smiled at her with fondness, pleased to see that Imladris was now home in her heart.

OoOoO

Elrond came out of Valerie's tent and heard that the elven leaders were gathered in his personal tent. He entered and asked a servant for a glass of red wine.

"You can send the children to their naneth," he told his daughter, who let them go. The young twins quickly disappeared and they listened to their little voices as they quickly went back to their naneth's tent.

"How is she?" Arwen asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

"She is much better."

"Is she ill?" Haldir asked, frowning. He had heard that the half-elven family could feel the cold, did it meant that they could get sick too?

"She is not ill. The Valar have blessed her."

"How so?" Celeborn asked.

"She is with child."

Everyone in the room froze in astonishment. Elrond discreetly observed Glorfindel's reaction. A tightening of his jaw was the only sign of his emotions.

"One would wonder if she truly is the woman of the prophecy," the Elvenking remarked with a smirk.

"She is the one," Galadriel replied coldly. "The fact that she became a half-elf when she crossed the portal is proof enough."

"Then how do you explain that she is pregnant? And who is the adar of the child, if I may ask? He obviously is not an ellon from Lothlorien or Greenwood!" Thranduil seemed to enjoy himself immensely, as if seeing the carefully designed plans of the other leaders fail was bringing him satisfaction. He gestured to his son. "Legolas will certainly not bind himself to a woman who is carrying another's child."

Legolas nodded in agreement.

Lady Galadriel turned to Haldir. "And you, my friend?"

Haldir was frowning. "I cannot bind myself to an elleth who is carrying a child who is not mine."

"I am extremely disappointed by this turn of event," Lord Celeborn claimed. "Elrond, you have taken her from her world without our agreement, and secured her presence in your realm by making sure she would be pregnant before the council."

"This is a ridiculous accusation!" Elrond thundered. "I cannot deny that I went to her world with Mithrandir, but I was not aware that she was pregnant until a few moments ago!"

"Who is the father then?" Lady Galadriel asked. "Was there an ellon she was close to?"

"No one," Arwen exclaimed. "She spent all her time with her children, her sister and I. I cannot imagine who the adar is!"

"Glorfindel," Galadriel turned to the captain, "what about you, my friend? Will you accept to bind with her now that she is pregnant?"

"I will."

"You do not have to," Celeborn said. "Your offer is very honorable, but in truth, you should have the right to refuse, just like Legolas and Haldir. Rest assured that Elrond will take care of her. She will not fall into dishonor."

"I will not refuse. I will bind myself to her," Glorfindel reiterated firmly.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Thranduil asked, observing the reborn elf as if he was a strange kind of animal.

"Because she is carrying my child."

Everyone but Elrond stared at him. Of all people, Glorfindel was the last ellon they would have named as the potential father of the child Valerie was carrying.

"We had thought you beyond reproach," Lord Celeborn said darkly. "We did not rush to Imladris following Valerie's arrival since we trusted that you would offer a fair chance to Haldir and to Prince Legolas. You betrayed our trust."

"If I may express myself openly, I must say that I am insulted that you have brought your mate here and paraded her as if she was still unattached," Haldir hissed.

"She is not my mate," Glorfindel coldly answered, not watching the Marchwarden.

"I beg your pardon?" Lady Galadriel asked. "She is with child! Your child!"

"I... had no idea she was pregnant until Lord Elrond told us."

"How did this happen?" Arwen cried.

"I am sure that Glorfindel will accept to discuss this... within a closer circle of friends," Elrond came to his captain's help.

"I admit I am very curious to hear about this," the Elvenking grinned.

Elrond thought Thranduil enjoyed the events a little too much. Discord between Lothlorien and Imladris pleased the king, who preferred not to have allies since the last war when his father King Oropher had died.

"Glorfindel is an honorable ellon, a lord of great worth and courage, who once gave his life to save his people and who would do it again without a second thought. If he says he had no idea the lady was pregnant, then I believe him," Elrond stated firmly. "I will not have him explain himself in front of... unfriendly elves and be humiliated in such an odious manner."

Lord Celeborn huffed and left the tent, Haldir following him with an air of outrage that was not becoming on his features. Elrond's children followed them, giving Glorfindel an encouraging smile before disappearing.

"I think we should go, Adar," Prince Legolas told his father.

"So soon? Oh well, I can tell when my presence is no longer desired," the king sighed moodily. "Come, Legolas, it seems that we can start planning our journey back home. This council has ended today. Our dear friend Elrond got what he wanted since the beginning. The prophecy will take place in his realm."

Elrond shifted uncomfortably in his chair. It was as if the Elvenking could read directly in his mind. "I am sure you have no regrets. You did not want this prophecy to take place in Greenwood."

"She might have been a good mate for my son. I would not have refused if he had wanted to take her back to Greenwood."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Lady Galadriel murmured. "But my realm would have been delighted to welcome Lady Valerie and adopt her as a daughter of Lothlorien."

"Well, Elrond, I am leaving you to explain your behavior and your captain's to your mother-in-law," Thranduil grinned while his eyes remained cold and calculating. He turned around in a theatrical gesture and left the tent, his son following behind with a serious expression.

"Do you want us to leave?" Lindir asked, talking about Erestor and himself.

"No, my friends, you might as well stay to hear about my shameful conduct," Glorfindel told them.

"Tell us what happened," Galadriel requested.

Glorfindel sat in front of her. "From the first moment I saw her, I knew she was my mate. I never told anyone, but Elrohir knew. He had seen how taken I was with her when we had found her in the woods after her escape."

"I sincerely thought you did not care for her," Erestor said, puzzled. "You fooled us all."

"How long have you been her lover?" Lindir asked.

"We were not together. I had decided to give a fair chance to Haldir and Prince Legolas. I avoided her. And when she started having feelings for me and confronted me about mine, I explained my decision to her. She did not take it well. She... pressured me, I might say. But the fault is all mine. I could have avoided her trap. I did not."

"Keep going," Lady Galadriel encouraged him.

"We only spent one night together. The last night before I left for the borders."

"Does she know about your nightmares?" Elrond asked.

"Yes."

"How did she come to be pregnant?" Lindir wondered out loud. "It is quite remarkable. I had never heard of an unbounded elleth who carried a child."

"It means that even if no binding words were pronounced, the Valar have considered the physical intimacy between you as a binding act," Lady Galadriel determined. "And they immediately blessed the union with a child."

"But I do not feel a bond with her. At least, not as I should. I need to be near her, my mind can barely concentrate on any other thought than her, but I cannot feel her moods."

"The binding words still need to be pronounced," Elrond informed him. "Only then will you feel a complete bond with her in your fëa. It is as if... you were half-bound, a peculiar situation."

"I agree. I suggest you remedy to that as soon as you can," the Lady of Light suggested to Glorfindel.

"Do you mean that we need to organize a ceremony today?" Erestor asked.

"It is a little too late for that," Lindir replied. "By now, the news of her pregnancy must have spread in the camp like wildfire."

"You must speak to her, present the facts, and make her realize that you must complete the bond. Do it alone, if you see what I mean," Galadriel recommended.

She stood and put a hand on Glorfindel's shoulder. "After hearing your story, I realize that I cannot blame you. I do not think any less of you. I wish you happiness in marriage. May the Valar bless you with more children."

"Thank you."

"As for you," she said to Elrond, Erestor and Lindir, her tone hardening, "I do not appreciate how you have schemed to favor Imladris. I already gave Mithrandir a piece of my mind on this matter." She looked even taller when she was angry, her eyes burning holes through them. "You have brought Valerie here, completely unprepared, and treated her shamefully. The dungeons! I still cannot imagine how you could have done this! And you left her her elflings behind, separating a mother from her children! Shame on you!"

"We went back to get them -" Erestor weakly defended himself.

"Hush! Glorfindel went back to get them, not you! He is the only one in this tent who acted gentlemanly. I am sure that you did not even notice that these children are also part of the prophecy!"

"How do you mean?" Elrond asked.

" _Twin warriors, new blood in elven lines,"_ she recited. "Who do you think the Valar was talking about? I am sure that Thranduil has figured it out by now. This is why he is not condemning the fact that Phoebe is being trained. You have been fools!"

"We will take good care of her," Elrond bristled. "You do not have to worry!"

"And how will you identify the prophecy children?" she challenged him.

They all had assumed that Galadriel would help them identify the children to be born. They all stared at her, realizing she was truly upset with them.

"Do not fret, I will help you. For Valerie and Glorfindel, and for them only. If I were you, Elrond, I would be looking for a way to pacify Celeborn. I will certainly not help you in this endeavor."

* * *

 _A/N: I particularly like writing about Thranduil, finding sarcastic retorts for him to say is amusing. You will have some more of that in the future! In the next chapter, how will Valerie and Glorfindel fix the diplomatic incident they have unwilling created?_

 _LadyLindariel: you must know my style very well to have predicted her pregnancy and biding (although it is half completed)… I like that!_

 _Glassary: Valerie was angry, but her worry for him during his fight with Haldir wiped all of that. She still wanted to protect him even after Elrond knew about the pregnancy!_

 _fihunt: Yes, Valerie was very convincing, not sure many ellyn would have resisted her determination! Strangely, when I write your name with the dot in the middle, it disappears in the document manager. I have received your previous reviews, thank you so much for writing me._

 _Blake2.1: she could have been angrier, but her health and concern for Glorfindel certainly made things easier for him!_

 _Princessnerra: I imagine that remembering your death and the pain of it cannot be easily forgotten when you are sleeping. Valerie thinks she can help him, she will soon find out it is not that easy._

 _Krystylsky: thank you for your reviews! I hope you are pleased that Elrond and company got chided by Galadriel for leaving Adam and Phoebe behind!_

 _Aralinn: the pendant made an appearance at the wrong moment, revealing the identity of the father of her child to Elrond while she was still trying to hide his identity. It regardless made things easier during that particular conversation!_

 _Maggie: thank you for your compliments. Yes, I have plans for Thranduil since he has yet to find his true fëa-mate. You will know who she is within the next few chapters._

 _Paperlanterns86: yes, they stood no chance after that night with the captain!_

 _Faye50free: I am trying to update every 3 days – the story is almost all written, I am doing my own beta-reading in between the publishing of the chapters. I will try to keep this rhythm up until the end of the story._


	7. Chapter 7 - Heart of Stone

_Chapter 6 ended with:_

" _And how will you identify the prophecy children?" Galadriel challenged him._

 _They all had assumed that Galadriel would help them identify the children to be born. They all stared at her, realizing she was truly upset with them._

" _Do not fret, I will help you. For Valerie and Glorfindel, and for them only. If I were you, Elrond, I would be looking for a way to pacify Celeborn. I will certainly not help you in this endeavor."_

 **Chapter 7 – Heart of Stone**

Valerie was alone in her tent, trying to read but she was too worried to concentrate properly on the elvish characters. She kept reading over and over again the same paragraph and it remained meaningless. Now would have been a good time to watch a chick flick with ice cream and cookies. That was exactly what she needed in the dark mood she was in. Allison and Elrohir had taken Phoebe and Adam to the archery field once again. She had not joined them in an attempt to avoid the stares she was sure to draw to herself if she were to come out of her tent.

"Lady Valerie? May I come in?" a voice asked from outside the tent. A voice she had rarely heard in the past months, but one she dreamed about during her lonely nights, remembering how deep and passionate it could be.

"Of course, my lord," she told the captain, closing her book. Glorfindel must have known about her pregnancy for a few hours now. She wondered if he would be angry with her, even if he was as much to blame than she was. They had had unprotected sex together. Although there was no possible form of protection in Middle Earth. A little voice in her mind told her she may be a little more to blame than he was, with her ultimatum and deliberate attempt to seduce him.

He entered, his face as impassive as it always was. He closed the door flap behind himself. As soon as he was comfortably seated in a chair beside her cot, she decided to break the silence.

"How much trouble are we in?"

"Thankfully, very little. I believe Lord Elrond is in much more trouble than we are."

"Really? Why?"

"For his decision and active participation in bringing you here and leaving your children behind. As a naneth, this is not something Lady Galadriel is happy with."

"I see."

"You should have told me."

She knew he was talking about her pregnancy. "I know. I am sorry. I did not know how you would react. And I was scared that Lord Elrond would be angry, both at you and me, and that we would be punished. I was afraid he would punish you more particularly. You have so much to lose."

"I would have preferred to hear it from you. A future father should always hear the happy news from his mate."

"But we are not mates, are we?" she bristled. As far as she knew, sleeping with him did not mean that they were now married. How presumptuous of him!

He brought his chair closer and gently took one of her hands. "What do you know about elven pregnancies?"

"What is so special about them?"

"An elleth cannot get pregnant unless both partners are willing to have a child. It is not purely a physical process like it is for the mortals. The desire to have a child must be there, in their minds and hearts, in order to conceive a new life. And the Valar only give elflings to couples who are... bound."

"So we are the exception?"

"I do not believe we are. The Valar may have blessed us with a child because our fëar connected during our love making. As if... we were already half-bound, in some strange way. This is our lord's opinion on the matter."

"Half-bound?" Valerie repeated, unsure of what it meant.

"Yes. We need to complete our bond to be officially married. We need to pronounce the ritual words binding us together."

"You want us to get married?" She could not quite believe what she was hearing. She knew she loved him, but they had only spent one night together. It was quite a stretch to go from one single night of passion to marriage. But she was pregnant with his child, in his world… and she truly loved him. How pathetic was that for a modern woman?

"Do you not want to marry me?" Glorfindel frowned.

"Well.. Yes, I think," she hesitated. "Although this is not how it would happen in my world. It is your own desire to marry me that I am unsure of. You are being forced to do your duty by Lord Elrond because of my untimely pregnancy..."

"Is that what you truly think?" he asked, obviously affronted.

"Well, other than this one night... you have been getting out of your way to avoid me. And only threats brought you to my bed after all."

He contemplated her for a few moments, registering her obvious exhaustion and current state of distress. He also noticed how absolutely lovely and endearing she looked. He only had himself to blame if she did not trust him. He had sent her mixed signals, between his constant aloofness and their love-making followed by the gift of the pendant bearing his family crest. She had struggled with her pregnancy, scared of the consequences for herself, but most of all, for him. She had attempted to protect him by hiding her symptoms until it was too late. He remembered she had vowed to help him through his tormented nights, not afraid of his nightmares and his resulting anguish and violence. She had told him she loved him, words he had been unable to repeat at the time. But she was his now, half-bound to him, and the most significant person in his life since he had first laid his eyes on her. It was up to him to make things right, since he was the one who had not managed her courting very well.

He sat beside her on the cot and put his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him, making sure that the cloak she was wearing was still closed around her. The tent was not providing her enough warmth for her to remove her furs. Traveling in the early spring was not the best time of the year for a half-elf, and he would make sure that from now on, she would always be safely at home, in Imladris, when the temperature was too cold for her to travel. Lord Elrond would not have a say in his decisions about Valerie.

He gently lifted her chin to look at her in the eye. "I know I am not an approachable ellon. I do not like when people know about my weaknesses, or any other personal fact about me. I do not wish to deal with people's pity and questions about my first life, and about my death more specifically. It was horrific enough, I certainly do not want it to become entertainment for the thrill-seekers. I tried to give a fair chance to Haldir and Prince Legolas, but instead of informing you that I was also a prophecy ellon and befriending you, I treated you like everyone else, as if I did not have any feelings for you. But I do. Have feelings for you, I mean."

He let go of her chin and was lost in his thoughts for a while, but his gaze came back to her with a light she had never seen there before. "I have felt a tie to you from the moment I first saw you in Elrond's office. You were shivering in the cold in that short silver dress of yours. You were trying to tell us that you wanted to go back home to your children. I was furious with Lord Elrond, Erestor and Lindir for doing this to you, and more specifically, for locking you up in the dungeons, but although I had lost some respect for them, a feeling of joy was battling with this anger. You were there. And I knew in my fëa that you were the one for me, the one I had ceased to hope ever meeting. With one look of your exceptional eyes, you have caught my heart."

Valerie was speechless. She had never heard Glorfindel say so many words in one conversation. The fact that these were words of love was slowly registering in her brain. She tried to regain her composure.

"I knew you were very clever, everyone could see it. We should have known that your sudden acceptance of your situation was just an act. You tricked Arwen into trusting you, and you escaped from Imladris. I tracked you down with Elrond's sons like it was a matter of life and death for me. I could not lose you. And a matter of life and death it turned out to be, for we found you about to be attacked by orcs. You killed an orc that night, proving that you are more than a mere elleth. That night, you truly accepted your fate, and asked if we could bring your children in our world. I wanted your complete happiness, and as soon as we came back to Imladris, I told my lord we needed Mithrandir to reopen the portal so I could get your children. I gave him no choice in the matter."

He pulled her even closer to his body. Valerie leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes while listening for his side of the story. Hearing his thoughts was an unexpected blessing. He was such a secretive ellon. She had never expected that he would finally open up to her, at least not that day.

"I crossed the portal and saw your home. Everything was strange, but it was obvious to me that you had left behind a very comfortable life. Your house could have lodged ten families in Middle Earth."

"I come from a wealthy family," she admitted.

"I could see that! I found Adam first, sleeping in his bedroom. He woke and stared at me. It was so obvious that he was your son! Same hair, same eyes, even the same skin tone! I lifted him from his bed, praying he would not wake the adult I knew was in the house. I told him he was going to see his mommy. He repeated the word, and I knew he had understood me. He did not put up a fight, he only started asking questions when he saw the portal in your backyard. He kept calling for you as I pushed him through the portal. I came back to the house and realized that Phoebe and Allison were sleeping in the same room. As soon as I took Phoebe from her bed, it woke Allison. She stared at me and I knew I had to escape quickly when her expression turned to anger. I heard her go get something in another room and she started running after me. She was yelling, and Phoebe was crying and calling her over my shoulder. Then... you know what happened."

"I am sorry that you got injured that day," she said, caressing his arm. She wondered if he still had a scar. During the night they had spent together, it had been too dark for her to see. "I did not think you were actually running into danger when you crossed the portal."

He lifted his hand to silence her. "It was not your fault, and Allison apologized many times since then. I cannot blame her. If I ever woke to find someone trying to take one of my children? They would not even have time to blink before I ended their life."

He was very serious. She believed him when he said he would kill anyone trying to take his children away.

"I have been watching you and your children each time I was in Imladris," he continued with his story. "I do not think you ever noticed it. I also enjoyed watching Elladan and Elrohir struggle with their relationship with Allison," he grinned.

"Oh, I am sure it provided entertainment to many people!"

"Valerie," he continued, bringing back the conversation to their own relationship, "from now on, although I do not intend to change my behaviors with the rest of the Imladris residents, I promise you that when we are alone, I will be more forthcoming, I will share my thoughts and feelings with you like a bound couple should."

Valerie could read his face now, he had dropped his usual mask of coldness while he was describing the last few months. There was trust and sincere regret on his face, and his eyes... there was deep affection in there. Would she dare call it love? She could not be sure, not right now. And then he smiled, a genuine, happy smile.

"I see I still have some convincing to do," he said, bringing his face closer to hers. He angled her chin to give himself better access to her lips, and gave her a slow and tender kiss.

"When I was in your former home, I wanted to bring something back for you, items that you had cherished, that you may have packed if you had been allowed to bring anything with you... I tried to locate your bedroom, and found an unoccupied room in the house, your scent was still all over it. Unfortunately, there were many objects that I did not recognize, and I did not know if they were important to you or not. In a closet was a heavy metal box that was open. Inside was a few piles of small papers neatly stacked, but there was also a jewelry box. This I recognized! I took its content and put it in a pocket of my tunic. Then I went to search for your children..."

At least, he had not brought the cash she had been hiding in her safe! In Middle Earth, it would only have been worth the paper they had been printed on. Her jewelry on the other hand... Her father had always told her to keep it in a safe box at the bank, but she had always preferred to keep it at home, in her own safe. Why had her safe been opened when Glorfindel had visited her home? Had Allison needed the cash to pay something for the kids and forgotten to close it?

"Where did you put the jewelry?" she asked, knowing that contrary to her cash, it would be worth a lot in Middle Earth. No one in Imladris possessed such finely cut jewels. Everything here looked more like Middle Ages jewelry, with big stones and more noble metal than what people liked in her world.

Glorfindel took out a little dark blue velvet pouch from his pocket. "I have been carrying them with me since then. Even when I went to the borders."

"Why did you not give them to me right away?" she asked, and he put the pouch in her hand.

"I could not part with it. At least, not until I could call you mine. Not until we were together and you would give me tokens of your love to bring with me when I go to the borders..."

Valerie opened the pouch and took out some jewelry. She recognized her diamond earrings, all her necklaces, rings and bracelets. There was a small fortune in there, she did not know if Glorfindel realized that. Jewelry did not seem important for the elves. She kept going through the content of the pouch until she found two rings she had never seen before.

"These are not mine," she told him, giving them back to him. "I do not own rings like those. And this one is way too big for me! Maybe they belong to Allison?"

"They are mine. Those are the ones I asked the smithy to forge in secret after your rescue. I knew that I wanted you forever, and I was hoping that you would choose me and accept to bind yourself to me. I never expected that you would carry my child before I gave them to you. Please allow me to fix that. Valerie Thompson, will you accept to be my mate? Will you be my love, my fire, the elleth I will treasure for the rest of my life?"

He caressed her neck, and opening her cloak, he gently pulled out the pendant that was hidden in her bodice, feeling the warmth of the metal that had rested between her breasts for weeks. His finger followed the design of his family crest. "Will you officially become the Lady of the Golden Flower and proudly wear this pendant above your clothing rather than hiding it inside your bodice?"

"Yes, Glorfindel, I will be your wife," she replied, dropping the usage of the word _lord_ now that they had come to an agreement.

His mouth found hers again, and their kiss was all tenderness at first. He put all his feelings into that kiss, attempting to show her how much he loved her. He still had difficulty with the words, but he knew she would pull them out of him one day, and probably faster than he expected. She snaked her arms around his neck, half sitting on his lap, and started exploring his mouth in a most passionate manner, and he immediately felt his body respond to her heated kiss. He had not been able to forget that one night they had spent together, scenes were always replaying in the back of his mind, and he was eager for a repeat as soon as possible. But not now.

"Valerie, we cannot do this now. I will come back to your tent tonight. Make sure our children will be spending the night with your sister."

"Elrohir will not appreciate that," Valerie grinned. She stopped smiling when she realized what he had just said. "Our children?"

"Yes, my sweet love, _our_ children. They will become mine as much as yours when we complete our binding. If you allow it, of course."

"Glorfindel, it would greatly please me if they became your daughter and son. They have been missing a father figure, and they respect you greatly. We just need to make them love you."

"A potentially difficult task. I admit I have never been very friendly with children in the past. And not in my first life either."

"Just be yourself with them, do not hide behind your mask when we are together as a family. And be patient. They can be a little overwhelming."

"And we must speak of this little one too," he said, putting a hand on her stomach for the first time, where a new life was developing, a little miracle he had created with Valerie. "It will be a prophecy child. A renowned reborn elf."

"Do we know who it will be?"

"Not until you give birth, I am afraid."

He stood. "Keep the rings," he said. "I will be back tonight, naur nin." _My fire._ She hoped he would soon only associate fire with her, in a passionate way, rather than to his horrific death.

"I am looking forward to it," she cheekily replied.

He smiled. She looked so much healthier now. She was literally glowing, her beauty breathtaking. And she would be his, no later than tonight. His forever. He wondered what he had done to deserve such a treasure. The Valar must like him.

OoOoO

Valerie was sitting on a heavy blanket to protect her from the cold ground. She was keeping her cloak tightly closed around her, hood on her hair and she was wearing the leather gloves Arwen had given her before leaving Imladris. Phoebe and Adam were also wearing fur cloaks, and little wool hats and mitts, Phoebe in red and Adam in dark green. The children were going back and forth between their mother and the stream, where they were looking for nice stones polished by the water. They were bringing her the little rocks and she was marveling with them at the beauty of their treasures. Each time they were coming back to her, Valerie was giving them a piece of dried fruit, but only when they successfully gave her the translation of a word between English and Sindarin. They were very good already.

Between their trips, Valerie was daydreaming about the previous night. They had completed their bond in a very passionate manner. In fact, she was pretty sure many had heard them given the knowing smiles she had seen in the morning... They had tried to remain discreet, they really had. But in a camp full of elves with particularly keen hearing, it had been an impossible task. Furthermore, in the elven culture, love making with a beloved mate was as natural as breathing, and people were not bothered when they heard their friends or members of their family in the act.

As soon as Allison had left with the children, Glorfindel had entered her tent and taken her in his arms with an impatience that had revealed his irrepressible desire to mate with her. But Valerie had taken the lead, undressing him slowly and kissing and caressing each body part she uncovered. He had been both surprised and very, very pleased when she had taken his elfhood in her mouth and had brought him to completion. His semen had tasted a little sweet, something unusual for her but quite welcome. After he had come down from his high, he had returned the favor, and soon, she had been so feverish that she had been entirely naked in his arms despite the cold air in the tent. He had made her come with his mouth and his fingers, multiple times, and as she remembered the scene, she blushed, knowing she had cried out loudly each time. She had been completely exhausted when he had finally entered her silky core, and he had made love to her gently, each of them savoring the sweetness of the moment. Their pleasure had built slowly, but before climaxing, Glorfindel had said the binding words and made her repeat them, words in which they had accepted to become mates for the rest of their eternal lives. There had been a blinding light enveloping them, Valerie remembered as much, but she had been very occupied at the time by the way Glorfindel was moving between her legs, giving her sensation after blissful sensation that had made her peak in the most glorious, and unfortunately noisy, manner.

Hence the knowing smiles of people this morning.

It truly was amazing to see that the elves were almost magical creatures. Valerie had never thought possible that two souls could be bound together, or that a blinding light would appear, signifying the acceptance of their union by the gods. A union that seemed to have greatly pleased her new husband. She remembered how indelicately satisfied Glorfindel had been to know that his claim would be recognized by all ellyn, including Haldir and Prince Legolas. He had been very possessive that morning, hovering over her each time an ellon was coming near her. It was a disconcerting side of him that Valerie was seeing for the first time.

Earlier, Arwen had taken her apart and explained that newly bound ellyn were extremely possessive of their mates, and that it usually took a year for an ellon to quieten and stop thinking that all males were challenging their bond. She had also added that it had taken her adar more than two years to settle in his bond, two years during which Lady Celebrian had been wary of speaking to other ellyn. Spectacular scenes were remembered by the oldest elves of Imladris. Arwen had finished her explanation by wishing her that Glorfindel would not be as bad. Her wicked grin had belied her words.

Valerie hoped Glorfindel's possessiveness would abate sooner rather than later, as she cared not to become entertainment for the entire city. She closed her eyes and concentrated to find again that new bond in her soul. She could feel Glorfindel's fëa, something strong that comforted her that he was there, that he was near, and that he loved her. He did not even have to say the words anymore, she could feel his love from afar. It was both incredible and unsettling.

As she was deep in her thoughts, playing with the wedding band Glorfindel had put on her index finger during the night, she did not realize that someone was standing behind her until Adam and Phoebe stopped in front of her and stared at the ellon with wide eyes. Valerie turned around and saw that the Elvenking himself was there.

She started to stand when he gestured for her to remain seated on her blanket.

"I was only here to congratulate you on your binding. My people will be leaving later today. We have nothing left to do here. I am sure you have heard we are the estranged kin of the Noldor and Sindar."

Valerie looked at the handsome being standing near her. He was by far one of the most majestic and beautiful person she had ever seen, Glorfindel excluded. Her spouse's physical charms were beyond words for her. King Thranduil's silver hair and blue eyes made him look even colder than the constant expression of boredom and indifference he was wearing could alone. _Ice-King_ , was the description that came to mind. She pitied the elleth who had been married to him. She had heard about his arranged marriage and the absolute fiasco it had been. Prince Legolas' naneth was dead now, the poor soul, and their bond had been broken. Legolas seemed a little less glacial than his adar, probably some genes that he had miraculously inherited from his mother.

"I thought you were a Sindar," she replied. She was confused. Why would he call himself estranged if he was not even a Silvan himself?

He evaluated her for a short moment. "Yes, I am of Sindarin descent. But I have lived for so long in Greenwood that I feel much closer to the Silvan elves than the Sindarin ones."

She didn't think it explained why he was not in contact with the Lothlorien and Imladris people. She was persuaded that the frigidness of the diplomatic relations between the realms had nothing to do with the cultural differences between the races and everything to do with his oh-so charming character and empathy. She wondered how she was supposed to improve the alliance with Greenwood by just having children, whether they were concerned by a prophecy or not.

"Hello," Phoebe's chiming voice said beside them, in Sindarin no less. She was definitely speaking to the Elvenking or she would have spoken in English.

Valerie and the king looked at her, Valerie with concern, and the king with interest. It was a rare occurrence that such a young soul found the courage to speak to the king. Valerie wondered if the king would reply rudely to her daughter for her impertinence.

"Good morning," the king replied calmly. Valerie was at a loss to know if he was annoyed or not with her daughter, who was addressing him without the deference due to his station.

"We have been looking for stones near the stream," she explained, showing him the ones she had in her hands. Her little red mitts seemed wet, but she did not seem to care.

Adam had returned to the stream, realizing that nothing important was being discussed with the impressive man his sister was speaking to.

"Mommy, where did you put that heart-shaped stone?" Phoebe asked, dropping her rocks and looking for something into a pile of stones on her mother's blanket.

"I think it is here," Valerie mumbled, pointing at the other pile.

Phoebe stopped rummaging through the stones and looked at her with impatience. "This is Adam's pile," she cried, rolling her eyes as if Valerie was dimwitted.

Did Valerie dream the chuckle that seemed to have escaped Thranduil's lips? When she looked at him, his face was impassive.

"There it is!" Phoebe victoriously cheered. She jumped to her feet and walked closer to the king, her hand extended. "This is for you."

Thranduil studied her for a long time without moving, but Phoebe's confidence did not falter. She kept her hand extended, sure that he would eventually take the stone. To Valerie's astonishment, he did. In a slow movement, the Elvenking took the heart-shaped stone from Phoebe's hand, studying her little features and hair coming out of her red wool hat. Her hair was as violently red as Valerie's under the sun, and Valerie thought her daughter looked extremely cute with her rosy cheeks and her intelligent green eyes. Not that the king would appreciate the beauty of a child, she thought. He did not seem capable of appreciating anything but himself.

"Why do you wish to part with this stone?" he asked her.

"Because we are friends," Phoebe replied.

Valerie was looking at the scene with amazement. She thought she ought to explain to the king why this stone was so special. "In my world, when we draw a heart, we give it this specific shape, even if it does not truly has the shape of a real heart," she explained.

The king turned his cold gaze to her. "I had gathered as much."

Valerie felt like she had been called a dimwit for the second time in just a few moments. She wished she could give a piece of her mind to the king, but he was royalty, and she was just a lady of Imladris.

"I hope our paths will cross again," he told Phoebe, bowing to her.

"Congratulations again, Lady Valerie of the Golden Flower," he said to Valerie. "May the Valar bless your union with many children."

"I hope your Majesty will have a safe journey home."

He turned around and walked in the direction of his tent, never looking back. Phoebe's eyes did not leave him until he was gone from her sight. She turned around and went to join her brother near the stream, as if nothing strange had just taken place.

"What did the king want?" Glorfindel's voice said. Her husband sat beside her and took her hands in his.

"To congratulate us on our binding. And Phoebe gave him a stone. He took it, against all odds."

"He probably dropped it to the ground as soon as he was out of her sight."

"I do not even doubt it."

"Did you speak to the children?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for us to all be together. Now that you are here..." It was an unspoken question. Did he feel ready to tell the children he was their new father?

"We have to speak to them before they hear about it from others."

"Lord Glorfindel!" Adam screamed in their ears. They cringed. Adam still had to learn to keep his voice down. He had come back from the stream with some more stones. "Did you see us practice yesterday? I was better than Phoebe!"

"You were not!" his sister cried with outrage. "I am sure Captain Glorfindel saw that I was better than you were."

"You were both equally very good," Glorfindel said to reestablish peace between them. "I am proud of your progress. I have never seen such talented elflings before. I can tell you that you are better than Elladan and Elrohir were at that age."

"Truly?" they both asked, extremely pleased. For sure, Elrond's twins would hear about it.

"Yes. Now, there is another matter that your naneth and I would like to discuss with you."

The two elflings stared at them with wide eyes. "Sit down," Valerie asked them.

Adam and Phoebe sat on the blanket and waited for them to speak.

"Glorfindel and I are together now. As a couple," Valerie insisted, to make sure they understood her meaning.

"You are going out with Captain Glorfindel?" Adam asked.

"Not exactly. We... got married last night."

"You got married?" Phoebe cried. "And you did not invite us to the wedding?"

"Well, it was a private ceremony..." Valerie hesitated.

"Elven binding only take place between two elves, no one gets to witness it," Glorfindel delicately explained to the children. "But there will be a feast tonight. And you will be guests of honor too!"

"Why?"

"Because we are a family now, the four of us," Valerie told them.

"Will you have babies together?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes, we will. Soon. Very soon."

"You already have a baby in your belly?" Adam guessed.

"Yes," Valerie confirmed.

"Will this baby have a father?"

"Well of course," Glorfindel answered. "I am the father."

"Why will this baby have a father and not us?" Phoebe asked Valerie very seriously. "This is not fair. We are five years old and never had a father. We should have priority!"

"I will gladly become your father if you will allow it," Glorfindel told her. He turned to Adam. "And I would become yours too."

"You want to be our father?"

"Yes. I would really like that."

"Okay!" Adam said. Then he stood and went back to the stream. Glorfindel watched him, wondering if Adam was truly fine with the idea.

"You will play with us?" Phoebe asked, investigating the situation.

"Yes."

"Do you know how to play Go Fish?"

"No, but will you teach me?"

"I can, it is a very easy game. Will you have dinner with us in the dining hall from now on?"

"Yes. You will join me at my table."

"Will you teach me to sword fight? Just me, not Adam?"

"I will gladly start training you, young one, but I will teach Adam too. He is my child too."

Phoebe pouted.

"Can I get a hug from my new daughter?" Glorfindel asked, opening his arms.

Phoebe did not hesitate. She went into his arms with a smile. "It is too bad I already gave my heart-shaped stone to the king. I would have given it to you instead if I had known you would become my father."

"Maybe we will find it on the ground near his tent," Valerie whispered just for Glorfindel to hear.

* * *

 _A/N: Valerie and Glorfindel are now fully bound, and we can move it with the accomplishment of the prophecy…_

 _faye50free: it was probably even more obvious in this chapter that I have plans for Thranduil!_

 _Glassary: your assumption is accurate, as you have seen in this chapter._

 _Peridot Eyez: I have plans for Legolas also, but not in the immediate future. It will be revealed in a few chapters._

 _Paperlanterns86: Galadriel was not going to let them get away with that!_

 _Princessnera: I always had a soft spot for Haldir since he was my first prophecy character. I am always sad when I leave either Haldir or Legolas out of the main story because I had so much fun writing the other versions with them as the main characters._

 _Fihunt: Thranduil was pretty quiet in this chapter, but he will come back with a vengeance very soon!_

 _Foofie01: I always imagined that displeasing Galadriel must be terrifying. Elrond did make a few mistakes at the beginning, he deserved the tongue lashing!_

 _Krystylsky: Celeborn is unhappy that Elrond schemed to get the prophecy children in his realm and actually succeeded. I don't think foregiveness will come anytime soon, quite frankly!_


	8. Chapter 8 - Confusion

_Chapter 7 ended with:_

 _It is too bad I already gave my heart-shaped stone to the king. I would have given it to you instead if I had known you would become my father."_

" _Maybe we will find it on the ground near his tent," Valerie whispered just for Glorfindel to hear._

 **Chapter 8 - Confusion**

 _Imladris_

 _Months later_

"Captain! Captain!"

Glorfindel turned in the direction of the warrior who had just arrived at the camp. The scout was recognized for being one of the fastest of his troops, but he had just been sent to Imladris for a two-weeks permission, which was far from being over. Why was he already back at the Eastern border?

"Captain! You must come back to the city immediately! Lord Elrond has requested your presence urgently."

Glorfindel was already picking up his belongings. He wondered what was so urgent, but did not ask the scout as Lord Elrond never explained his motives to the messengers he sent him.

But the scout was burning to tell him about what he had heard. He put a hand on Glorfindel's arm to catch his attention. "Captain, your lady is in labor."

Glorfindel, who had been ready to mount on his stallion, looked at him with shock.

"You must be mistaken. She is not due for another three months!"

"Captain," the warrior hesitated. "I do not believe I made a mistake. The sounds coming from your private chambers... there is no error possible."

"The sounds? What sounds?"

"Er... I mean... the screams, Captain. Your mate... she was in great pain."

Glorfindel jumped on his horse and raced at full speed in the direction of Imladris, all his thoughts directed to his mate. Valerie was once again surprising them all. Elven pregnancies lasted a full year, while human pregnancies lasted nine months. It was true that Valerie was having twins once again, as if the Valar wanted the prophecy to be completed in the shortest time possible. This may be the explanation for Valerie's early labor, or she simply would always give birth on a human schedule.

He rode for three long hours, the scout following behind. They passed the gate of the city at full gallop and Glorfindel abandoned his horse in the care of the stable master. He ran in the direction of his apartment, the one that used to belong to Valerie. Lord Elrond had ordered the destruction of walls to increase the size of their suite, to ensure that Glorfindel's growing family would be comfortable in the manor. He was getting used to the glass windows and roaring fires when the temperature dropped. He was also getting used to children joining them in their bed in the morning, to their toys lying everywhere in the apartment and to their intense but thankfully short arguments. It was a small price to pay when they frequently gave him proof of their love for him, something he was still amazed to have gained so quickly.

He frowned when he saw the odd looks he was getting from the servants he met on his way to his apartment. He was listening intently but could not hear any screaming, as the scout had described. He opened the door to his chambers, and was welcomed by Lord Elrond, Erestor and Lindir, who were sitting in his boudoir, waiting for him. They were drinking something that was not wine, but some stronger liquor that Elrond only took out in the moments of distress. Obviously, they were mystified, not a state he would have expected to find them in.

"Glorfindel!" Elrond whispered to him, grabbing him by the arm before he had time to enter in his bedroom.

"Valerie?" he asked. "Where is she? How is she?"

"She is sleeping in your bedroom."

"The babies? Are they born?"

"Yes, they are. The elflings are fine."

"Then why the long faces? Is my mate not well?" he asked, even more alarmed.

"She is well," Lindir reassured him immediately. "Please, do sit down! We need to talk."

"I am not sitting down to have a drink! I want to see my mate and my children!"

"Glorfindel!" Elrond called after him, but the captain ignored him. He walked to the room where he was sleeping every night when he was in the city, in Valerie's comforting arms. He gently opened the door and peeked inside. The first thing he saw was Arwen standing by the glassed window, softly singing a lullaby with two little bundles, one in each arm. In the bed, Valerie was asleep, looking exhausted. Allison was sitting beside her bed, slowly brushing Valerie's hair to untangle all the knots. She stopped when she saw her brother-in-law in the doorway.

He entered, followed by the other three ellyn. "Glorfindel, we must talk!" Erestor whispered, still trying to stop him from getting near the elflings or Valerie.

"Please stop acting like this is the end of the world!" Allison spat, her anger rising again.

Arwen snorted. "No, this is not the end of the world!" she chanted softly, giving a kiss on the forehead of each baby. "No, it is not!"

The captain walked to his mate and sat on the bed beside her, observing her attentively. Valerie looked very pale, and the sweat was still drying in her hair. "What is wrong?" he asked Allison. "Is Valerie unwell?"

"She is doing perfectly fine for someone who just gave birth naturally to twins without any modern medical help."

Glorfindel frowned, not understanding what his sister-in-law meant by that statement.

"Let us say that it was not pain-free, but she did it like a champion. She was very happy after the birth, regretted that it had been too quick for you to be there, and she fell asleep after giving the babies their first feeding." Allison was whispering to avoid waking her sister up. She would probably sleep another hour before the elflings would need their next feeding.

"Glorfindel," Lindir whispered. "The elflings... they are not males."

"Your mate gave birth to ellith," Erestor specified. "I even wonder if they are prophecy children."

"Oh please!" Arwen snorted, coming closer to Glorfindel. "Nothing in the prophecy ever said that all the elflings would be ellyn. You just assumed it!" She glared at the counselors. "These little ellith are special, I can tell they are. They will prove you wrong."

"Maybe they are daughters of Glorfindel's blood, since they were conceived outside of wedlock?" Erestor continued.

Glorfindel extended his arms to finally hold his daughters. Arwen gently deposited them in the crook of his arms, and he immediately realized that the little ellith were not his blood daughters. They both had a silvery fuzz of hair and hazel eyes. It was not completely impossible, but between his golden hair and Valerie's own fiery hair, it was unlikely. Furthermore, he had blue eyes and Valerie emerald green eyes, and no one in his family had silvery hair and such gorgeous hazel eyes. Although the twin girls were similar, they were not identical twins. The shapes of their faces, mouths and noses were different, and one of them seemed to be taller. Both of them were beautiful, absolutely perfect little ellith.

"I do not believe they are my blood progeny. But they will be my daughters just as much. If they are prophecy children, who can they be?" he asked around.

"Unfortunately, we have no idea," Elrond admitted.

"We have to send a messenger to my grandmother," Arwen mentioned. "But it will take months before we know their identity."

"I may be able to call the eagles," her father offered. "They would carry a message much faster. We would know within two weeks at the most, if Galadriel saw the elflings in her mirror."

"Did my children see their new sisters?" Glorfindel wondered.

"No," Allison replied. "Do you wish me to go get them? They are with Elrohir at the river. We wanted them to be out of hearing distance."

"Once they are back from the river, please make sure that Elrohir brings them here."

"Glorfindel?" Valerie's sleepy voice was heard.

"I am here, naur nin – _my fire_."

"You missed the birth," Valerie said desolately.

"I apologize for not being there to support you. If I had known you would give birth this fall, I would have remained in the city instead of going to the borders. My love, you gave me two very precious gifts this day."

"They are girls. A disappointment. Apparently, this was not what was expected of me," Valerie said, finding enough strength to glare at Erestor more specifically.

"They are precious all the same. Lord Elrond will send word to Lothlorien so we can know their identities. You should rest now, and stop worrying about the fact that you gave me daughters. Know that I am delighted." He gave one of the babies back to Arwen and one to Allison, and leaned over his mate, caressing her hair.

"I love you," she told him sleepily. "Please stay with me."

"I love you too," he whispered in her ear, only for her to hear.

OoOoO

 _Lothlorien_

 _One week later_

"What did Elrond write to you?" Celeborn asked his wife. "It must have been a message of the utmost importance for the eagles to accept to carry it."

"It was. Glorfindel's mate gave birth."

"Already? Is this not early?" he asked, quickly calculating the months since the council.

"Yes, it is earlier than Elrond had expected."

"So who are the little ellyn?" the lord of Lothlorien asked. They knew Valerie was carrying two elflings, the news had traveled very fast throughout the elven realms a few months before.

"They are not ellyn. They are ellith."

"Truly?" Celeborn pondered this information for a little while, but eventually shrugged. The will of the gods was sometimes astonishing and unfathomable. "Did you know already about the birth and you did not share the information with me?"

"I have only seen this morning that the elflings had been born. It took a few hours for the Valar to reveal to me their identity in my mirror," Galadriel replied mysteriously. "Our people will be very pleased."

OoOoO

 _Imladris_

 _The following week_

"A letter from my grandmother arrived today," Arwen told Valerie and Glorfindel. "I took it before Erestor could open it," she laughed. "It is addressed to both of you."

Glorfindel took the letter from Arwen, glancing in the direction of the two cribs in the room. His daughters were sleeping after his mate had nursed them. Arwen was spending most of her days in his apartment now, delighted to help Valerie in the care of the little elflings. He was thankful for her presence, as he was supposed to go back to the borders soon. He believed that between the four elflings, Valerie would need help, but he was not comfortable with his lord's daughter acting as a nanny for his children. Over the past few months, Arwen and Valerie had become much closer than before. They had truly become friends, a friendship that also included Allison. But Arwen was the first lady of Imladris, with all the duties that came with the position, while Allison was spending most of her time in the healing rooms. Glorfindel had spoken with Lindir the day before, and had asked him to find an elleth who would be interested to become the family's nanny.

"Are you ready to know who our little loves are?" Glorfindel asked Valerie, nervously flipping the parchment with his fingers. Valerie put her hand on his to calm him down. A confirmation that their daughters were the reborn legends of the prophecy would permanently silence the rumors traveling in the city.

It had been two weeks since the babies were born, and the family had had to find a nickname for them until they knew their identities. Adam and Phoebe had suggested to call them _chocolate_ and _caramel._ When a resounding no was offered, they proposed _peanut butter._ Valerie had vetoed the use of food names, the last proposal reminding her of Phoebe's former food allergy. Thank the Valar, there were no peanuts in Imladris. Glorfindel had delicately suggested to use flower names, a suggestion that Adam had found distasteful but Phoebe had been enthusiastic about, and since then, his newborn daughters were called _buttercup_ and _sweet-pea._ They were two quiet little angels, nothing like Adam and Phoebe had been as infants. Where the first set of twins had barely slept and had suffered from colic, their new daughters were sleeping most of the nights already and suffered from no discomfort. Valerie could not believe her luck, but the healers were telling her that elflings were very rarely difficult babies.

"Yes, I want to know who they are," she confirmed. "I want to know their history, I want to be able to guide them during their childhood, based on what happened during their first lives. Glorfindel, we also need to know who they are related to, so we can visit their families. This is my purpose, I need to help the elven people unite around these babies."

"Yes, and you will do great, naur nin – _my fire_ ," Glorfindel told her, fully trusting her capabilities to do so.

"Well?" Arwen asked with impatience. "Are we going to know who these cuties are before they reach their 50th birthday and tell us themselves?"

Glorfindel sighed, knowing he was stalling. He eventually found the courage to open the parchment, and Valerie started laughing nervously.

"What is the matter?" he asked.

"I feel like this is the Oscar ceremony," Valerie said.

"What is the Oscar ceremony?" Arwen asked.

"A celebration during which prizes are given to recognize the talent of the best actors of the year. They have envelopes with the names of the winners, and there is suspense before they open the envelopes to announce the winners, just like now..."

Arwen and Glorfindel looked at each other, thinking some customs were very strange indeed in Valerie's world.

"Forget it!" Valerie cried. "Just tell me who they are!"

Glorfindel quickly read the letter, and smiled. "They truly are prophecy children. People were wrong to assume they could only be males!"

"Who are they?" Arwen inquired, unable to believe that Glorfindel was now keeping the information to himself.

"Nimrodel and Mithrellas."

Arwen started beaming happily. "Oh, this is marvelous! I am so glad! What a blessing from the Valar!"

"Who are they? I think I have heard the name Nimrodel before," Valerie mused.

"Nimrodel has a river named in her memory, on the western side of Lothlorien. It runs from the Misty Mountains to the Celebrant. This is where you must have heard the name."

"Nimrodel's story is pretty sad," Arwen informed her. "She was a Silvan elf who lived in Lothlorien a long time before the Sindar arrived. She avoided them as mush as she could, but she eventually fell in love with King Amroth. They decided to sail to Valinor with a group of Lothlorien elves, but instead of sailing from Mithlond, they decided to sail from Belfalas. Their group got separated, we know not why. King Amroth waited for her on a ship but was caught in a storm and he drowned in the sea. When Nimrodel arrived in Belfalas, he was no longer... No one ever knew what happened to her. Obviously, she passed away since she is now with us, a reborn elleth."

"I hope she will be reunited with her king, one day..." Valerie whispered. "My poor little love! And what about Mithrellas?"

This time, Glorfindel answered her. "Mithrellas had traveled with Nimrodel to Belfalas. They were very close friends. In fact, now that I think about it, I am not surprised that they wished to leave the Halls of Mandos at the same time and be born together, as twin sisters. When their group got separated, Mithrellas was found by Imrazôr the Numenorean. He fell in love with her and they got married. They had two children together. Galador, the first Prince of Dol Amroth, and a daughter, Gilmith. She is the elven ancestor of the family reigning in Belfalas. The descendants of this family are long-lived since they still have some of her elven blood flowing in their veins."

"What happened to her? Did she become mortal after she married Imrazôr?"

"No, she remained an elf. She simply... disappeared one day, leaving her family behind. They never saw her again."

"So we do not know how either of them died?"

"No, we do not."

Valerie stood beside the cribs and watched her daughters wearily. "I wonder if their memories will be sad once they start having flashbacks of their first lives. Did they pass away quietly, fading alone in the woods? Or did they suffer a gruesome and painful death?"

"No one knows. We will have to help them when the memories come back," Glorfindel somberly said.

"And how do we know who is Nimrodel and who is Mithrellas?" Valerie asked practically. They needed to know how to properly identify them. What if they got them confused and raised one as the other for 50 years?

"Nimrodel was born first, as per Lady Galadriel," Glorfindel answered, rereading the letter. "Which means, _B_ _uttercup_ is Nimrodel, while _S_ _weet-pea_ is Mithrellas."

An impatient knock was heard on their door.

"That must be my adar," Arwen whispered with a smirk. "He must have heard that the eagles came back from Lothlorien and that I stole the letter. Erestor is such a tattletale!"

"Thank you for allowing us to hear about our daughters first," Valerie told her friend. "That was very thoughtful of you."

"I suppose there will be a celebration tonight to announce the wonderful news to the rest of Imladris. That should put a stop to all the rumors about them being born out of wedlock. I have to get going to organize everything," Arwen sighed. "I miss being in Lothlorien! In the golden wood, others are in charge and I can spend most of my days reading and writing..."

The knocking on the door became more insistent.

"I will get the door," Glorfindel told the ellith, "before your adar breaks it!"

OoOoO

Allison had been in Valerie's room for quite some time, rocking Nimrodel while humming a lullaby, but her heart was not into it, Valerie could tell. She was frowning, her gaze watching the forest through the window, barely paying attention to the little noises made by the elfling in her arms.

"Come sit near me," Valerie asked from the couch. She was nursing Mithrellas, who was always falling asleep halfway though her meal. "Tell me of your worries. Is there a warrior that sustained an important injury? Glorfindel did not tell me anything of the sort."

"It has nothing to do with my work as a healer." Allison's answer was a little abrupt, but she came to sit near Valerie nevertheless.

Valerie allowed her sister some time to gather her thoughts. Allison was not a secretive person, she knew her sister would eventually open up and ask for her opinion.

"Nimrodel is growing faster than Mithrellas," Allison said, watching the elleth in Valerie's arms.

"Nimrodel is always hungry, I feed her for much longer than Mithrellas. Why do you not drink as well as your sister, my sweet-pea?" Valerie asked her daughter in a chanting voice, trying to wake her sleepy daughter by tickling her little feet.

Valerie suddenly lifted her head. "Did Lord Elrond tell you we should be concerned about her health?" she cried, thinking Allison had been worried about her niece.

"No, he did not. I know he is watching her progress carefully, but he does not seem worried."

Valerie went back to nursing Mithrellas who had been awoken by her naneth's cry while Allison started rocking Nimrodel again.

Valerie barely heard the words that Allison eventually murmured. Furthermore, she suspected Allison had spoken in English, a habit they had lost a few months before.

"I beg your pardon?"

Allison sighed and eventually repeated her words. "Elrohir asked me to bind with him."

"That is good news, is it?" Valerie tentatively asked. Glorfindel had asked her to marry him while she was already pregnant, definitely removing the element of surprise. But if he had asked before she had gotten pregnant while she was desperately trying to seduce him, her reaction would have been very positive and loud. Why was Allison acting like it was bad news? Allison and Elrohir had been together for almost a year, and they seemed to be in love.

"This is very fast," Allison said.

"Allow me to disagree. Glorfindel and I bonded and had two children in the same time frame. I think we definitely qualify as moving much faster."

"You know how I have been in the past!" Allison pleaded like she was in court in front of a judge. "I never had a relationship that lasted longer than a few months. I never moved in with someone, all my boyfriends had kept their own apartments. I liked my freedom! I was never going to end up like our parents, stuck in a loveless relationship, staying together because divorcing would mean parting with money!"

"I understand you do not want to repeat our parents' mistakes. But honestly? I do not see how you can believe that your relationship with Elrohir follows that pattern. You love him, and if what you tell me about your relationship is true, he is in love with you too."

"But will he love me forever? Will I love him forever?" she seemed to doubt that last part more than the first.

"Do you think he is your fëa-mate? I admit... it was a little difficult for me to tell. I was fascinated by Glorfindel, he was on my mind at all times. I could not care less about the other ellyn of the prophecy. I wanted him at all costs, and I am ashamed to say that I insisted for us to share a bed before the council. He was reluctant, going against his values. But I would have done much worse to ensure he would be mine. But could I say that I felt a special bond with him like he did for me? Not really. All I knew is that I wanted him above all else. I only started feeling our link after we were bound."

"I am like you. I cannot feel... a link to him in my soul. I love him," Allison said with more assurance. "Very much. If he were to start going out with another elleth – I would be very angry. I would not rest until he was back with me."

"You would fiercely defend what is yours?"

"Yes."

"Are you interested by other ellyn? Do you find the others attractive?"

"I do not know?" Allison said with uncertainty. "I know all the ellyn are very, very good looking, but it is as if I do not really care, that I do not really see them. Elrohir is the most handsome. When he looks at me with his burning eyes -" Allison suddenly stopped, and blushed under Valerie's curious stare.

"I cannot tell if he truly is your fëa-mate or not. It is something that you feel in your heart. And as I said, since we are half-elven, we have difficulty reading our hearts. This is why you must trust yourself. I knew I wanted Glorfindel, and once we were bound, I started feeling this strong bond with him. It is overwhelming, I can feel him with me, even when he is at the borders. It is bringing me great comfort, to feel that he is alive. And when he is here, in Imladris, I can even feel his emotions when they are strong."

"It must help, since he is such a poker face!" Allison cried.

"You know, Glorfindel is not aloof like this in private. He is very affectionate with the children, and very passionate with me."

"Does he still have nightmares?"

Valerie had revealed to her sister that Glorfindel had nightmares almost every time he slept. He had awaken the babies quite a few times, until he started sleeping in another room in their apartment. Valerie was looking forward to being able to put the little ellith into their nursery during the night, expecting that her mate would come back into their bed once there was no more risk of waking them up.

"Yes."

"I thought the sleeping draught I prepared would help."

"Not really. He generally avoids sleeping as much as he can. He sleeps a few hours every three days."

"It is not healthy. He should sleep at least a few hours every night."

"I am worried about him... But he has been avoiding sleep for centuries. He is a big boy. He hates when I fuss around him. He does not tell me... but now I can feel it."

"What did you think? That your presence in his bed would magically stop the nightmares?"

"I guess I did. I was naive. Binding with the ellon you love brings you closer, so much closer than a couple in our world. But we still go through issues like regular couples. I am exhausted because of the babies, my patience level is low and I bitch all the time. He hates that. Adam and Phoebe frequently misbehave, and we disagree on their education."

"At least, you do not fight about money or sex."

"No, we do not," Valerie admitted.

"It is reassuring to know that elven couples work just like any other. Disagreements, frustrations... It feels less scary. The eternity part though, I must admit that I still struggle with it."

"Immortality... I still have not grasped that we will live forever. That I will be married to Glorfindel forever. That my children will never die... That part is a great comfort. I will never be separated from them. Would you want children with Elrohir?"

"I admit... since your babies were born... I have seen myself, rocking a raven-haired little elfling..."

"He could have your brown hair or worse, my red hair!"

"I really want a baby who looks like Elrohir. I have already thought of his name if he is a boy. Elrinor."

"It has a nice ring to it. Now tell me, how is it that you hesitate to marry him while you dream of having his baby?"

"I do not know. I keep thinking of the king of Greenwood?"

Valerie stared at her sister. "Are you...?"

"In love with the Ice King, as you call him? Absolutely not!" Allison laughed out lout. "But he got married with a person who was not his fëa-mate, and it was a disaster."

"Do you trust Elrohir?"

"Yes, I do."

"Does he say that he feels a fëa-mate connection with you? Glorfindel could feel a connection with me, he knew we were destined to be mates. I was just fascinated by him, in love with him. But I am happy that I trusted him. Because I started feeling the fëa connection right after our binding, as he had predicted."

"Elrohir says that we are fëa-mates," Allison confirmed.

"Maybe you should take a leap of faith. Trust him. Remain betrothed for a year, like the tradition requires. Do not shame yourself with a pregnancy before marriage like I did! And maybe, in two years from now, you will be rocking your little Elrinor."

"I wish you were right," Allison sighed.

"It is up to you. The decision is in your hands."

"I will think about it."

OoOoO

Elrohir had sore muscles following an intense ride coming back from a few weeks away with the Dunedain rangers in the company his brother Elladan, and Allison was giving him a well-deserved massage.

Elrond's sons were fond of their Chieftain, Arathorn II, who had been raised in Imladris during his youth like his forefathers before him. The Dunedain rangers were long-lived since they were descendants of Numenorians, their life span being three times longer than the other mortals of Middle Earth. As for Arathorn himself, he was considered Isildur's heir by the elves, living in hiding and secrecy. He was the last descendant of a long line that had started with Elros, First King of Numenor. He had been Lord Elrond's twin brother, who had chosen mortality for the love of his mortal mate.

Lord Elrond had always kept an eye on the descendants of his deceased brother, even millennia after his passing. They were considered family, and as such, each future chieftain was raised in Imladris and given a thorough education and knowledge of Middle Earth's history and politics. Elladan and Elrohir were usually in charge of their training in the use of weapons, while Lord Erestor took care of their education with Lord Lindir.

Allison was lost in her thoughts while her hands worked her magic, thinking of Elrohir's family history and how she could not be considered worthy of becoming part of the ruling family of Imladris. Lord Elrond praised her skills as a surgeon frequently, but was it enough for her to be considered a lady? Valerie had always been a lady-like person, she had always cast a vast shadow around her in which Allison had always felt comfortable hiding. Valerie had been well known in their world, being the editor in chief of a fashion magazine. She had made and broken many model and designer careers, she was used to being in the spotlight. She was sophisticated, had great people skills and leadership. Upon marrying Glorfindel, Valerie had become a prominent lady of Imladris, and since Glorfindel was the captain and all other counselors were single, Valerie was the second lady of Imladris after Arwen. If she married Elrohir, Allison would also be considered a lady, she would have to attend ceremonies and act charmingly with everyone, something she was not comfortable with. She did not want that life. She wanted to treat her patients, be with her sister's family, have a little family of her own. That was where her ambitions stopped.

"Will you tell me what troubles you, my love?"

"Nothing," Allison replied, putting her attention back to Elrohir's sore muscles.

Elrohir turned around on the bed to have a better look at her.

"I do not believe you. Allison, have I not confided in you each time I had worries? Did I not seek your counsel numerous times? Each time, I pondered your advice and always found it helpful. Will you not have the same courtesy and share your thoughts with me?"

Allison looked stricken for a moment, and did not answer him.

"There is another matter on which you have been silent for weeks now. Have you given any thought to my proposal, my love?"

If possible, Allison looked more stricken than before, informing Elrohir of the probable cause of her worries. Elrohir turned back on the bed, not wanting Allison to see his hurt expression while he was going to speak to her.

"When I proposed that we bind, I did not mean to trouble you so. I am sorry that the strength of your feelings for me does not match what I feel for you. I will bother you no more with my foolish wishes."

"Elrohir!" Allison cried.

"Speak no more," he begged. "I would kindly request that you give me some privacy."

He wanted time alone to recover from the blow. From the moment he had first seen her, he had known she would mean the world to him. Elladan had been a temporary mistake in their relationship, something he had tried to push away in a dark corner of his mind for a year. Every now and then, when he caught sight of his brother and Allison speaking together, he felt as he had received a strike to the heart. But he could feel that Elladan no longer cared for Allison, only as a sister now, and as for Allison? He had never truly spoken of his brother with her. He had preferred to ignore the issue, but he now saw it had been a mistake. He could not imagine any other reason why she would refuse to bind with him. Maybe she had been using him as a substitute for his brother? After all, if he were to trust his brother, Allison had been extremely passionate with him. Had her passion been at its peak with his twin, and had abated with him? He should have listened to Glorfindel when the captain had counseled to have a frank discussion with Allison on this matter. It would have avoided him much heartache this day.

How could Allison not realize that they were fëa-mates? Valerie had once mentioned that as half-elven, she had not felt her bond with Glorfindel until they were bound. Obviously, Allison was the same. He clenched his fists, sensing his bitterness was going to take over soon. "Leave!" he commanded when she did not depart from his chambers.

Allison realized that her silence had hurt Elrohir more than her words would have. She had confided in Valerie, expressed her doubts to her sister, but not to the ellon she loved so deeply. What was going on his head? Did he doubt her still? He was closing himself, wanted to send her away, and if she left his room now, she doubted she would have access to him anytime soon to discuss. He would probably go to the borders for months and come back as cold as Glorfindel was. Her Elrohir would be gone, replaced by a warrior that would treat her like any other elleth in Imladris.

The situation was ridiculous. She loved him, and he loved her enough to ask her to bind herself to him. Even if she had concerns, it did not mean that they had to end their relationship. They only had to talk things through, like the adults that they were.

"No, I am not leaving. I want to talk to you."

"I do not wish to hear what you have to tell me!"

"You will listen to me, even if I have to tie you to this bed! Stop being a child!" she cried, and when he turned around to glare at her, she glared back and pushed his shoulders back to the bed, deciding to continue her massage like nothing had happened. The muscles of his shoulders and back were still very tense. She rubbed the nape of his neck, trying to convey tenderness in her care.

"I want you to listen without interrupting me. Whatever it is that you are thinking, you are wrong. Elrohir, you have to believe me when I say that I am in love with you. I barely sleep when you are at the borders or when you ride with the rangers. I fear that they will bring back your lifeless body on a stretcher. My mourning, my love... It would be without end."

Elrohir felt her hair on his naked shoulders, and closed his eyes when her lips gave him a tender kiss on the neck where her hands had been before. She sat on the bed and leaned her forehead on his right shoulder blade.

"What about Elladan?"

"What about Elladan?" she returned his question. "Please do not tell me you still think I am attracted to him!"

"We are an almost perfect copy of the other."

"How can you say such a thing? I admit that in the first few months, before we started being a couple, differentiating you from your brother was sometimes a struggle. But no more, my love! From the day that I fell in love with you, I started seeing all that make you different from your twin, and I have cherished these differences with all my heart. I can see your soul in your eyes, Elrohir. I see courage beyond words, but I also see anger well hidden behind your merry manners. I know you still have not recovered from the dreadful destiny of your naneth. Elladan did, somehow, but you never did. Your fëa is haunted by what you saw. And it is that very suffering that changed you, that made you who you are today. You are determined, empathetic, perceptive and resourceful. You are also aggressive and headstrong like a mortal, because some half-elven blood flows in your veins. It comes out more in you than in your brother and sister. And I understand you, because I am even more half-elven than you are. In fact, I do not even know why they still call you a half-elf since it was your great-grandfather who was a mortal! That makes you what, 1/8 of a mortal?"

She laughed darkly for a moment. She stood and resumed massaging his back.

"Yes, I am more half-elven than you will ever be. I come from another world, I am nothing to the people of Middle Earth. And you are the son of the uncrowned king of the Noldor, only because your adar refused the crown he was offered. We are not of equal station, and there is no prophecy about me to compensate for my shortfalls. I have never dreamed of being a lady in a court. In fact, before I met you, I had very little plans for the future. I was working and spending time with my sister and her twins. And having affairs with men that meant nothing to me. And then you came into my life, helped me adapt to what life is here, you gave me a purpose. I dream of a family, I dream of having your son in my arms... But I do not think I can have that. I do not think I could be a good wife to the son of Elrond, Lord of Imladris."

Her hands stopped, resting on the small of his back. She closed her eyes, feeling like what she had just told him meant the end of their relationship. But at least, they would not part ways with him believing she did not love him.

"Can I speak now?" he asked when he noticed she was done.

"Yes," she murmured, keeping her eyes closed. She knew that if she allowed her eyelids to open, tears would come out and show her distress.

She felt his body shifting as he sat on the bed. "Are you done talking nonsense?" he asked her with a throaty voice she had never heard before. She felt his hands cradling her face very gently.

"Look at me," he requested, "look at me, Allison."

She opened her eyes and bit her lips, suppressing a sob. He was looking at her with a tender smile, but his eyes were burning with passion. "My heart was singing as you were talking, because you were expressing words that meant that you do feel our link, my sweet, beautiful love."

He gave a quick kiss to the side of her mouth, not quite on her lips, and leaned his forehead against hers, his hands still on her face.

"I do not care for being a lord either," he explained. "I am not my father's heir, my brother has this honor since he was born a few minutes before me. I have been raised to be my brother's captain one day, once my adar and Glorfindel sail. People have no expectations that I will make a great marriage to a princess of another realm to create alliances. I have no obligation to participate in ceremonies, or to represent my father officially in other realms. I am seen as the troublemaker, and very few people take me seriously. My family does, my captain does... Everybody else underestimated me, and they left me to my own devices because of this. How this makes my life more bearable, more peaceful! And then you came, and you read me like an open book. I want to bind myself to you, Allison Thompson. And I care not for what people think. We can live here, without any obligations, live peacefully and do whatever we want to do. We can leave the politics to the rest of my family and to your poor sister. And if you wish to live in a forest as a hermit, I will build you a hut!"

Allison laughed out loud through the tears she had stopped holding. "You are being a moron!"

"I want us to have this son you are dreaming about. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want the world to know you are mine. Will you be mine?"

"Yes, Elrohir, I will be yours."

"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you, and after today, I do not want to hear about it ever again."

"What it is?"

"My brother was indiscreet enough to tell me of your time together."

"What did he say?" Allison asked, both curious and fearful. Why was Elrohir focusing on the past so much?

"He described... how passionate those few nights had been. I do not know if he is exaggerating to cure his wounded pride or if it is true. But I cannot help but wonder if you were more... free with him."

Allison had known this would come on the table at some point in time. How she regretted this week with Elladan now! How could she find the right words to explain?

"Where I come from, younger people have sometimes what we call _one night stand_. Sex for sex, without love, where you only think of your own pleasure... but with a hint of performance pressure, as you want to impress your partner and show them how... talented you are."

He frowned, but could understand the concept.

"With Elladan, it was like this. I was surprised at first by your habit of sharing partners, it was unusual, you must admit! I knew I wanted to be with you both, I could feel it was very important for me to get to know you. Looking back, I think that I felt something for you, just like my sister was attracted to Glorfindel, but I could not tell if this attraction was for you or Elladan. Back then, I could barely differentiate you. I wanted to make sure that you would both enjoy my presence, so I could be with the one I felt was more important to me than the other. Elladan approached me first. I wanted to make sure that I would... perform. Otherwise, if I did not, he might have lost interest and you might not even have spoken to me later. You might even have ridiculed me with your brother. When you arrived in Imladris, we simply talked. You never once showed me you were attracted to me physically, but our souls were speaking to each other. And I knew, in my heart I knew it was you that I wanted. I told Elladan I wanted to be with him no more when he came back from the borders."

She caressed his cheek in return. "With you, I make love. Each time we are together, I want to show you how much I love you. There is no performance pressure, only feelings. There are a thing or two that we might not have shared together yet, because they are usually done out of lust, not out of love."

"Lust and love can cohabit in a relationship, as long as the love remains stronger," Elrohir told her. "I love you, by my body aches for you. Touching you ignites fire in my veins, creates a hunger that can only be satisfied if we share physical intimacy. But it is born from the love I feel for you."

"Can we forget about your brother and our unfortunate tryst, and only think of us from now on?" she asked pleadingly.

"Yes, beautiful. Now that you have agreed to be my wife, the thought of my brother will no longer haunt me. Will you want to wait the traditional year of betrothal, or will you want to get married immediately as your sister did?"

"Let us respect the customs of your people. People will already talk, let us not give them more reason to gossip about us."

"I will ask the smithy to prepare betrothal rings for us. I want the entire world to know of our pledge. Tonight, I will announce at dinner that you just made me the happiest ellon alive. My sister will be ecstatic."

"What about our father?"

"He will be too, in time... He already respects you greatly. It will only take a little bit of effort on your part to gain his heart..."

He gave her a kiss, long and slow, exploring her mouth with a new certainty, a confidence he never had before. He stood from the bed and put his tunic back on.

"Where are you going?" she asked, puzzled. She had not even finished her massage, and quite frankly, she had expected a passionate moment with him...

"To the smithy?" he replied, as if his urgency was natural. "Go get dressed, dinner is in less than an hour. Tonight, you will shine for a few moments before you can go back to the shadows. And maybe you want to go speak to your sister. I have a feeling she would be very unhappy if she were to learn that we are betrothed at the same time than the rest of Imladris!"

On his way to the smithy, Elrohir saw his sister at the end of the hallway. He knew that like Valerie, Arwen would not appreciate hearing about his news at the same time than the rest of the court. He called her and Arwen turned around, wondering why was her brother in such high spirits. She knew that he had asked Allison to bind with him a long time ago, and that the elleth had not given him an answer yet. Allison's hesitation had greatly hurt him, but she now hoped that he had finally received the positive answer he had been hoping for.

"Allison just agreed to become my mate! We are betrothed," he whispered.

Upon hearing the news, Arwen threw herself in her brother's embrace. It was obvious that she was enchanted with the news. "Congratulations, dear brother. I am so glad for you!"

He took her hand in his. "Now I need your help to announce it to Adar."

"And pray tell, why would you need my help? Just go see him in his study and tell him you are betrothed!"

"Allison is afraid he will not be pleased because she is not exactly nobility," Elrohir shared to his sister. "She believes he hopes that I will get married with a lady from Lindon or from Lothlorien. I am the grandson of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, son of Lord Elrond and she is a healer that came from a different world. Do you think she is right?" he asked, suddenly wondering if Allison didn't predict his father's reaction better than he did.

"A healer that our father qualified once as the most talented healer in surgery he has ever met. He had said that he would need years to absorb all of Allison's knowledge of the human body and her operating techniques."

"Is that enough to make him accept her?" he doubted out loud.

"She has vast knowledge from her more advanced society, and our best scholars enjoy spending time with her, because of this knowledge, but also because they are amazed by her way of thinking. She is an amazing sister and aunt, and she is beautiful. If I were you, I would not be worried for two reasons: the first is that even if she did not have all these qualities, our adar would accept her just because you love her."

"That is my hope," Elrohir said. "Adar and I never spoke of my desire to bind with Allison, in fact, he never mentioned that he even knew that Allison and I were... _friends_ in that way. What is the second reason why we should not worry?"

"The two of you are either blind, clueless or morons. Adar has known about you from the first night you have spent together. In fact, Elrohir, he has been wondering when you would pop the question to Allison. The betrothal rings that used to belong to him and our naneth have been ready, in his study, waiting for you to ask for them. So... I think it is pretty safe to say that you should face no resistance when you tell him about your decision. Save yourself a trip to the smithy. Or even better, get me a nice piece of jewelry for being such a good sister and binding counselor."

"Binding counselor? How can you think yourself as a binding specialist? You have never met an ellon that you thought interesting enough to even consider having a long-term relationship with!"

"Please do not ridicule me because I have such high standards. One day, my choice will blow your mind away. And that day, you will regret this comment!" she laughed, not knowing her choice in mate would one day shock her family to the core.

* * *

 _A/N: the idea of having female prophecy elflings only came to me for this version of the story. I was trying to come up with new elflings that could surprise you, my readers, and I thought that this would be a great twist to the story. Please review and let me know if you were surprised! I would also like to know your reactions about Nimrodel and Mithrellas being born._

 _Princessnera: just a few more chapters and your question will be answered._

 _Alygatorxandra: you will know about two in the next few chapter – I am not certain who is your third ellon – let me know their names and I can tell you about when in the story you will know who is the fëa-mate of whom (without giving away some information too early, of course!)_

 _fihunt: regardless of fëa-mates, you will soon see that Phoebe is bold and will remain so as an adult!_

 _Glassary: believe me, Thranduil never does anything unintentionally! Something is up!_

 _Krystlysky: Valerie doesn't think he kept it – it's just a rock after all…_

 _Maggie: I always imagined that an ellon who has so much wisdom wouldn't mind having girls, and would love innocent children regardless of their previous past. As a reborn elf, he is probably the best person to understand what they will go through in the future…_

 _btlmotormouth: Valerie and Thranduil? This is a combination I never thought about, but I can see the interest… Let me see if a few ideas come to mind – I try very hard to come up with stories that are different with certain common points of reference – I would have to find something very different than the Legolas version…_

 _Aralinn: yes, Glorfindel is opening up to Valerie, but it will take more than that for his past to stop haunting him. This will be the work of a few years of companionship and love…_

 _Paperlanterns86: did you like the first prophecy babies this time around?_


	9. Chapter 9 - Journeys

_Chapter 8 ended with:_

" _Binding counselor? How can you think yourself as a binding specialist? You have never met an ellon that you thought interesting enough to even consider having a long-term relationship with!"_

" _Please do not ridicule me because I have such high standards. One day, my choice will blow your mind away. And that day, you will regret this comment!" she laughed, not knowing her choice in mate would one day shock her family to the core._

 **Chapter 9 - Journeys**

Arwen and Valerie were riding in the valley like they used to before Valerie got pregnant. Mithrellas and Nimrodel were two months old now, and they were currently under the care of Sidhwen, an elleth of Glorfindel's acquaintance who had accepted to become the family's nanny. So far, the elleth had proven her skills with infants, and Valerie appreciated the free time she now had. She struggled more with Adam and especially with Phoebe, whose exuberance and passion for training and battles was difficult to conceive for an elleth.

Glorfindel, since their binding, had taken charge of their training. When he was in the city, he would spend at least two hours per day teaching them archery, and introducing sword fighting with little wooden swords. Lindir had taken charge of their education since Valerie and him had become more friendly. The relationship between Erestor and Valerie was still a little chilly. Sidhwen was also a close friend of Lindir, which simplified things somewhat for Valerie.

"Did you want to stop for a bit and maybe swim in the river?" Valerie asked Arwen when the elleth stopped near the river.

"The water is getting a little cold for you," Arwen replied. "Summer is over after all!"

"But it is not cold to you. I can sit beside the river and just watch you have fun for the both of us!"

Arwen smiled. "You are always thinking of others before yourself. You are very thoughtful, my friend. Let us sit by the river, but I will not go for a swim. I would like to discuss something with you."

Both ellith dismounted and walked closer to the river, where some ice would soon form. They sat beside each other, Valerie making sure that her warm cloak was protecting her from the wind.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about? Did one of my children misbehave again?"

"I hope that one day you will finally accept that even if your elflings are misbehaving, the people of Imladris are so honored that they are here with us, that they could do anything short of murder and they would be looked upon with smiles and wonder."

"I think you are a bit exaggerating here. Lord Erestor -"

"Erestor is merely jealous of the knowledge that you have. You understand physics matters better than he does, and you are withholding this knowledge from him. So is Allison. Sometimes, you speak casually of things that seem obvious to you but that are not at all to us. You remember when you explained to your children where the sun goes during the night? Did you not notice that everyone in the Hall of Fire was listening to you, absorbing this precious knowledge that you have? Later on, you gave more details to Glorfindel, who gave this information to my adar and Erestor."

"Why is Erestor not simply asking me questions directly?"

"Would you welcome his company?"

Valerie shrugged.

"I am unsure why you direct all this bitterness to him. After all, he was only one of many people that organized the conspiracy to bring you to Middle Earth. But he is the only one that you still hold a grudge against."

"He never apologized. Your adar did. Lindir did."

"That is how he is. He probably does not even know how to approach you. When he dares speak to you, your words are cold and you cut the conversation short. I thought you were happy here."

"I am! Glorfindel and the children mean the world to me."

"Then maybe you should act as if he was someone who helped you attain a happiness you would not have had in your world. If I were to mention to him that an apology might be necessary, would you spend more time with him? Answer his questions? I know he is very curious to know about the air we are breathing. And how do the clouds form in the sky."

"Fine," Valerie grumbled.

"And Valerie? Maybe you should tell Allison that she can stop being nasty with him too. You know how much influence you have over her."

"Was it all that you wanted to speak me about?" Valerie asked with humor.

"No, actually, it was not what I wanted to discuss today. Valerie... you know that my grandparents are living in Lothlorien."

"Of course!"

"Since my mother sailed after the attack, I have spent a lot of time with them in Lothlorien. I actually have spent more time there than here. And I have decided that I would visit them shortly."

"Oh! And when will you be leaving?"

"In the spring, once the mountain pass will be easier to access."

"How long will you remain in Lothlorien?"

"I am thinking of twenty years."

"Twenty years!" Valerie cried in dismay.

Arwen put her hand on Valerie's. "For you, twenty years is a long time. For us, it is a mere minute in our lives. You will grow used to time, to an eternity..."

"I will not see you for twenty years?" Valerie cried again.

"Of course you will see me! I expect that you will come to Lothlorien yourself for a visit. After all, you gave birth to Nimrodel and Mithrellas. The people of Lothlorien will want to see them! This is part of the Valar's plans to unite the elven people."

"I cannot believe it! Twenty years!"

"Stop repeating yourself," Arwen chided patiently. "Now, there is something I need to discuss with you. The last time I visited Lothlorien was a long time ago. Since then, the lady who used to take care of Imladris in my absence has sailed. I was wondering if you would accept to replace me while I am away."

"Replace you?"

"Yes, I want you to take charge of all my duties as the First Lady of Imladris. Welcome the guests, organize feast and celebrations, keep an eye on the servants, kitchen staff, the seamstresses and stable staff. It is no great task, since our people already know what their duties are. The chief housekeeper and the chief cook take care of almost everything, but they like to confer with me and get my opinion. I would like you to do this for my father. He cannot take my duties on top of his."

"What if I have more children?" Valerie asked. After all, it was more than likely that Glorfindel and her would have more children in the next twenty years!

"Sidhwen knows other ellith who can help you with your family," Arwen dismissed Valerie's argument.

Valerie knew that she could help Lord Elrond and Arwen. She used to hold a very important position in her world, very stressful and requiring dedication and creativity. She could manage the daily operations of Imladris with her eyes closed, of that she had no doubt. But she was still under the shock of hearing that her friend would be leaving for twenty years.

"Will you do this for me, Valerie?" Arwen insisted, determined not to travel without leaving Imladris in the good hands of Valerie.

Valerie waved her hand in acceptance. "Twenty years!" she repeated to Arwen, who only smiled in return. She would get over it. Eventually. Because it would not be her last stay in Lothlorien, far from it.

OoOoO

 _Imladris_

 _10 years later - Year 2931 of the Third Age_

"Gilraen, you have a beautiful son," Allison told the wife of Arathorn, who had come to Imladris to give birth to their firstborn. Gilraen, exhausted by many hours of labor, smiled tiredly.

"Will you tell Arathorn?" she asked Lord Elrond, who had attended the birth.

"I will go tell him right away," the lord reassured her.

"Have you chosen a name for him already?" Valerie asked the new mother. Gilraen and Valerie had become friends in the past two years after the woman had married Arathorn.

Allison was still taking care of Gilraen while Valerie was still holding the hand of the mother. When a healer was done cleaning the baby, he gave the child to Valerie.

"He is very beautiful," Valerie told her. "See? He has his father's eyes."

"I am almost done," Allison promised, knowing Gilraen wanted to hold her son.

"He is as beautiful as my Oropher when he was born!" Valerie said.

Gilraen knew Valerie was lying. Five years before, Valerie had given birth to the former king of Greenwood, and the news had spread fast all over Middle Earth. She had met the elfling for the first time when he was three. Gilraen had never seen such a beautiful child. Never. But she thanked Valerie for her compliment nevertheless, knowing that Valerie must have found the child beautiful or she would not have said so. Valerie was not a liar, that she had quickly realized.

A few moments later, Allison was done and Valerie gave her her son.

"Hello, little Aragorn," she murmured. "You are right, he looks like Arathorn."

"Aragorn, what a nice name. I hope your son will have a great destiny, and that his life will be filled with love."

"So do I," Gilraen whispered.

Lord Elrond soon came back with Arathorn in tow. While the happy couple was with their newborn, the lord of Imladris discreetly informed Valerie that her youngest children were waiting for her to go to bed.

"Glorfindel sent word. Your daughter and son are doing well. The three of them will be back tomorrow."

Valerie thanked him. Her oldest twins were now 16 years old, and three years before, Glorfindel had started bringing them to the borders when he was going, as he would with any grown warrior. Phoebe and Adam had been trained for many years, not only to use weapons in the most fearsome manner, but they were undergoing physical training too. They were running for two hours every day and were doing body-building exercises.

Unlike their other fully elven children, who were growing over a period of 50 years, Phoebe and Adam were following the growth rate of mortals. At 16, their physical development was almost complete. Adam was tall and strong, and did not have the physical awkwardness of human teenagers. Phoebe had developed like a woman, she had curves that had the Dunedain rangers look at her with lust in their eyes. That is, when her father was not around. Glorfindel was very protective of his oldest daughter. At least, the ellyn of Imladris were not coveting her since as per the elven laws, she was still an elfling.

Glorfindel and Lord Elrond had both determined, a few years back, that their majority would be recognized when they turned 18 instead of 50. Anyone who was not blind could tell they were on the verge of adulthood.

They both looked more elvish than their mother and aunt, since their bodies had had time to growth as elves. Their ears were pointier, the facial features more refined, their bodies lighter. They could walk on snow like true elves, something Valerie and Allison could not. On the other hand, their skin could tan under the sun, although sunburns seemed improbable. Their red hair was thick and shiny, Phoebe's had large curls like Valerie while Adam's was straight like any other elf's.

The two young warriors were a sight to behold, especially on a battlefield where their fierceness was already outstanding. Word had spread in Middle Earth that Imladris had the _Naurothar_ \- the fire warriors – on their side. Even the orcs used that name with fear when they appeared during a fight.

Valerie went to her apartment where Sidhwen was reading stories to her three youngest children and her nephew Elrinor, who was 7 years old. The child looked like a smaller version of Elrohir and was a pacific little ellon. Everyone thought he would become a scholar instead of a warrior, to Elrohir's great dismay.

"Did they behave well tonight, Sidhwen?" Valerie asked as she entered the room where they were gathered.

"Yes, my Lady. Oropher ate a bit too much cake and did not feel well, but he is fine now."

The reborn king of Greenwood smiled cheekily to his naneth. He truly was a beautiful child, with his silvery hair, deep blue eyes and sunny smile. Valerie frequently wondered how such a good-humored ellon could have had the Ice King as a son. That cold disposition must have come from Thranduil's naneth!

"How many pieces of cake did you eat?" she asked the culprit.

"I did not count them!"

"Six," Nimrodel informed their mother. Oropher glared at his sister and pushed her off the bed where they were sitting.

"I counted five," Mithrellas admitted. She always was the mediator between Nimrodel and Oropher.

"Nimrodel is a liar!" Oropher told Valerie seriously. "She should be punished. Maybe we should cut her tongue." That sounded more like the Ice King.

"I think not!" Nimrodel cried as she jumped back on the bed.

"If I punish Nimrodel for lying, I will punish you for eating three more pieces of cake than I allowed you to."

That quieted Oropher, who realized dropping the subject might be to his advantage. "Is Adar back tomorrow?" he asked, jumping on the bed and almost falling on his sisters and cousin a few times.

Sidhwen grabbed him from behind and forced him to sit down before he hurt himself or a sibling.

"Maybe it is time that we get help," Sidhwen sighed. Until then, between Valerie and Allison, the nanny had been able to keep control over the children. But Valerie was planning to travel in Middle Earth shortly, and Sidhwen wanted to come with her, but she would need to be able to take care of all the children if they were to travel a lot.

Valerie had been surprised when Sidhwen had admitted that she wanted to travel with them. Not many ellith wanted to travel these days. Only Arwen seemed fearless. Elrond's daughter had spent the last ten years in Lothlorien, and Valerie was planning to visit her this summer. The fact that Lindir was going to travel with them might have something to do with Sidhwen's decision. The counselor and her had been dear friends for many years now. Valerie did not understand why they were not binding, but it was none of her business.

"Hiriliel is ready to travel with us. The children like her very much already. It should be an easy transition." The elleth had been teaching Westron to the children for the past two years. She had the ability to make her lessons very interesting for the elflings. Valerie had learned the language with her ten years before, since she needed to communicate with all the visitors that came to Imladris.

"I will speak to her tomorrow," Valerie decided. Hiriliel had cousins in Lothlorien, she would be thrilled to visit them.

"I will bring Elrinor to his naneth," Sidhwen said. "Said goodbye to your cousins, Elrinor."

"Goodbye," the quiet child told his cousins.

"Tomorrow, we are going for a ride!" Oropher told him. Elrinor nodded in agreement. He usually followed Oropher's leadership. The former king was hard to resist already.

Valerie put her own children in bed, and fell asleep quickly in her own bed, exhausted by the events of the day. A visit from the Dunedains and the birth of an heir to their chieftain had caused havoc that Valerie had had to manage as the First Lady of Imladris. Some days, she wished Arwen would soon return so she could enjoy some time off.

She woke when something tickled her nose.

"The sleeping beauty is awake," Phoebe voice whispered very close to her face.

"You are lazy, Mother," Adam added from the other side of the bed, also much too close to her face. "The sun is up, Imladris is waking, and there you are, having a lie in."

Valerie grabbed them by the neck and pulled them against her. "My babies," she cried, calling them with the name she knew they hated. They were almost adults after all!

"I am taller than you," Adam said with false contempt. "Do not dare call me a baby ever again."

Valerie gave him a kiss, and then kissed Phoebe. "How was your border duty this time?"

"Boring. We did not see any orcs."

"Where is your adar?"

"He is with the our sisters and brother. He decided to let you sleep, but we voted against it," Phoebe admitted with a laugh.

Valerie pushed them away and stood. Phoebe gave her a robe to wear on her nightgown, and they all went to the other end of the chambers, where the two rooms of the younger elflings were located. Valerie smiled when she saw Glorfindel with her three youngest children in his lap.

Fatherhood suited him. Between the love and understanding of his mate, and the joyful contact with his children, the frequency of his nightmares had slightly diminished, and he was able to sleep more frequently. Valerie sometimes wondered if her mate had two personalities, between how he acted in their close family circle, and when he passed the door to interact with the other people of Imladris.

He suddenly spotted her at the door. His smile and his eyes held many promises, and her heart started beating faster. He still had that effect on her, 11 years after their binding. The magic of elven binding would ensure they would feel that way until the end of time.

"I did not want to wake you, but I see that these rascals had no such regard for you."

Adam shrugged. "I had not seen her in two weeks. I missed her too much to wait."

Valerie laughed and walked to Glorfindel, managing to give him a kiss on the lips with her youngest children trying to give her a good morning kiss. Once everyone had received their caress, Valerie asked them to get ready to go have breakfast.

"We will bring the children," Phoebe said. "You two stay here," she decided.

"Why?" Adam asked, frowning.

"You are so clueless sometimes, I am wondering if you truly are my brother," Phoebe rolled her eyes. Valerie and Phoebe helped the children get dressed, and the older twins left the chambers with their younger siblings, leaving Glorfindel and Valerie alone.

"Phoebe truly is a pearl," Glorfindel said, pulling Valerie against his chest.

"I cannot believe that she can be both so deadly and yet so feminine and caring at the same time. I would have expected her to be a tomboy."

"Fortunately for us, she is not," her mate smiled. "Or unfortunately. Can you imagine the number of ellyn that will want to court her when she is of age?"

"Do not lose sleep over this, my love, two years is in a long time."

"To you maybe... For me, it is but a moment away..."

They spent the next hour alone, until their children came back from breakfast.

Later that day, many people were sitting in Lord Elrond's study to discuss Valerie's journey in other realms. To Glorfindel, it was a sore subject, as he could not afford to leave Imladris for many months. He had only accepted to allow Valerie to leave if Elladan and ten of their best warriors were to escort her.

"Adam and Phoebe should come with me also. Not only are they good warriors, but it would be a good learning experience for them," Valerie argued.

"Valerie is right," Erestor said. "Their presence would also be a comfort for the youngest children. We all know how the elflings like and trust the twins."

Valerie thanked him with a nod. They had made their peace many years before, and since then, without being friends, they could be described as good collaborators. Erestor had such a thirst for knowledge, and Valerie had general knowledge of so many things unknown in Middle Earth. Allison was also being interrogated regularly, but Erestor definitely preferred annoying Valerie with his questions.

"You will leave with all our children at once?" Glorfindel asked with a frown. Obviously, he had thought he would only be parted with three of his children, not the five of them.

"It is best for their security," Elladan agreed with Valerie and Erestor.

"This better be a quick trip to Lothlorien and then back," Glorfindel fumed.

"We have received a messenger from Belfalas while you were away," Lord Elrond admitted. "Lord Adrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, has heard that Mithrellas was reborn, and since it is well known that Valerie would soon start traveling to visit other realms, he has kindly requested a visit so that his people could meet their elven ancestor."

"Absolutely not!" Glorfindel cried. "Their journey would last at least half a year!"

"If they do not go now," Lindir remarked, "they will have to go eventually. Do you not think it better if Valerie leaves once for a longer journey, and then, your family will remain here for at least a decade instead of traveling every three or four years to visit each realm separately?"

Glorfindel knew Lindir was right, even if he hated that truth. He stood and bowed to his lord respectfully before dismissing himself.

"I am sorry," Valerie apologized for her husband. "We took him by surprise, that is all."

"I would have no other reaction if Allison was going to leave with Elrinor," Elrohir commented. "Let me go speak to Glorfindel, please continue prepare the journey. The sooner you leave, the sooner you will be back."

After Elrohir had left to follow Glorfindel, they discussed the itinerary. Elladan suggested to go to Belfalas first by going south on the western side of the mountains. The journey north would be done on the eastern side of the mountains. Stopping in Rohan was not a must but preferable. Lothlorien was the next destination, where the family would spend an entire month. The question of stopping in Greenwood was raised. Everyone knew that going to the Elvenking's fortress would add much time to the journey. Some said that the forest road crossing the woods of the Silvan elves was not as safe as it used to be.

"The Elvenking would be greatly insulted if you do not stop there," Lindir commented. "After all, his adar was reborn and he has not seen him once since his birth."

"Maybe the king could visit Lothlorien while we are there?" Valerie asked.

Elrond snorted. "Thranduil does not trust Celeborn and Galadriel. He will never visit them."

"How long would the journey be if we do not stop in Greenwood?"

"Six months if you spend one month Lothlorien and two weeks in Dol Amroth."

"And if we go to Greenwood?"

"Add a month of travel, plus the time you will spend there."

"I am afraid we will not be able to visit the king," Valerie sighed.

"We will send him a messenger to inform him that you will go during your next journey." Elrond cringed at the thought of the Elvenking's reaction to his missive.

"When are we leaving?"

"In two weeks from now," Lindir suggested. "You must be back before winter."

OoOoO

They stopped right before sundown. Elladan had found a clearing where they would camp for the night. So far, the elflings were not complaining too much, a surprising fact considering that they had been traveling for six weeks already.

Sidhwen took care of the children while Hiriliel was preparing food with the help of Adam and Phoebe. The warriors were quickly setting the camp. Valerie had no task in particular, if only to rest. A week before, she had noticed that her periods were late, and she had started feeling nauseous in the morning. She was unsure of how that had happened. Of course, Glorfindel and her loved each other greatly, and they must have had wanted to have more children at the same time during the nights preceding her departure.

Sidhwen and Hiriliel were aware that Valerie was potentially pregnant, and the two ellith were helping Valerie hiding her pregnancy to Elladan. If he heard about it before they arrived in Belfalas, he would make them turn around and go back to Imladris. Valerie had calculated that they would be back way before nine months. They only had to remain in Lothlorien for a shorter period of time.

They reached Belfalas a few days later, and camped in the wild one last time before making an entrance in Dol Amroth. They sent a messenger to the prince to let him know they would arrive the next day, but the prince surprised them by appearing at the camp at dawn the next day.

He had arrived with his warriors, and all the elven soldiers had encircled the family to protect them from harm.

The prince dismounted and identified himself. "I am Adrahil, prince of Dol Amroth," he said, bowing politely until he saw Elladan, which he had correctly identified as the leader. "Lord Elladan, I had not thought to see you today!"

Elladan dismounted too and walked to meet the prince. "It is an honor to meet you again, Lord Adrahil. It has been at least twenty years since I last saw you while I traveled with Mithrandir."

"You have not changed at all," the prince remarked.

"And you have barely aged!" Elladan replied.

"Thanks to our elven ancestor! It seems our long-life will continue for long in my line."

"Well, you will have the opportunity to meet her, but you must be advised," he said on a lower tone, "that reborn elves to not regain their memories of their first life before their majority. It will be another 40 years before Mithrellas remembers Imrazor and their children."

"I understand," the prince replied, slightly disappointed.

"May I introduce you to Lady Valerie, mate of Lord Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower, the naneth of the reborn elflings."

Valerie walked to Elladan and the prince and curtsied to the prince. "My Lord, it is an honor to meet you."

"The honor is mine. You have traveled far from your home to visit us. My people will never forget how you went out of your way to give us the pleasure to meet Lady Mithrellas."

Valerie called her children and presented them all to the prince.

"I had not thought I would see the _Naurothar_ ," he smiled. "Dunedain rangers have described your warrior children to me. I must admit, I was curious when I heard one of them was a female."

"You did not believe a female could be a warrior, my Lord Prince?" Phoebe asked in a tone that was close to disrespectful.

"I am sure the prince did not mean that," Valerie replied to soothe her daughter.

"I merely said I was curious," Adrahil said. "There are no female warriors in Gondor. Your reputation is preceding you. I doubt the rangers would have lied about your capabilities."

The prince turned to the little ellith and his eyes stayed on Mithrellas after Valerie had identified her. He soon knelt in front of her. "How old are you, my child?" he asked her.

"I am ten years old," she replied in perfect Westron.

"I am five years old," Oropher added, wanting his share of attention.

The prince welcomed them and turned back to Valerie. "They all seem to be the same age?"

"Elflings have periods of physical growth and periods where their minds are developing and their bodies remain unchanged. My daughters have reached that period of physical stability."

"I see. I am not very informed about elflings' physical development. We have not seen an elven child in Belfalas in many millennia."

They followed the prince to his fortress of Dol Amroth. Lord Adrahil was still single and his court was very small. As a result, Valerie and her family had very little ceremonies and feasts to attend. They visited the citadel and were even able to go to the beach a few times in the two weeks they remained there. Each time, the people of the realm had approached them to meet her family and Mithrellas in particular. The young elflings thought it strange, but Phoebe and Adam were very aware that their younger siblings were reborn elves and understood what was going on.

Sidhwen had feigned extreme fatigue to allow Valerie to rest a little longer in Dol Amroth. They were planning to tell Elladan about Valerie's pregnancy once they were on the eastern side of the mountains. So far, it did not physically show and it would not for another few weeks.

The evening of their departure, the prince made Valerie promise that she would come back to Dol Amroth once again in the future, when Mithrellas was older. Valerie promised, thinking that coming to Belfalas once every decade was the equivalent to going in the Caribbeans every two years in her world. Between the hot temperature, the palm trees and the beaches, the Bay of Belfalas was truly a vacation paradise.

They left the next day and went north-east, in the direction of Gondor and then Rohan. They avoided being seen near Minas Tirith. They truly had nothing to gain in visiting Turgon, the Steward of Gondor, who was not very fond of elves.

When they reached the borders of Rohan, Valerie asked Elladan to have a private word with him while they were riding. They went in the front, and started whispering to each other.

"Are you finally ready to tell me that you are pregnant?" Elladan attacked first, his gaze serious.

Valerie gaped. "What do you mean?"

"You have insulted me for weeks by treating me like an idiot. I am a healer, Valerie, a healer!" he cried louder, angry at her.

"Why did you not make us turn back if you knew?"

"I know as much as you do how important this journey is. So far, you have made Prince Adrahil a personal friend of yours. Each time you will visit him and his future descendants, you are making sure that Dol Amroth will answer the call of war and join another alliance. The cause is noble, and you are a strong elleth, you have proven it many times. You can endure a journey while pregnant."

"I am sorry, Elladan, I did not mean to insult you. But I had to protect you."

"How so?"

"If I had told you about my pregnancy, and you had not brought us back, Glorfindel would have slaughtered you upon our return. Now, you can say that I lied to you. I will be blamed, not you."

Elladan looked ahead of him for a moment, and turned back to her. "You are probably right. I prefer to keep the respect of my captain. When we stop tonight, I want to examine you. I have been worrying for weeks, unable to ensure that your pregnancy is going well."

"The mornings are easier. I am starting to have a little bump."

"Hopefully, you are not carrying twins!"

"I will tell my children tonight as well."

OoOoO

They arrived near Lothlorien weeks later. They had left Imladris four months before. After discussing with Elladan, Valerie had decided not to visit Lord Fengel, King of Rohan. There would have been little to gain for them at that time. Unlike Belfalas, there would not be a reborn child that would have a link with Rohan. Elladan did not know the king personally either. It would have been an awkward visit, that the Rohirrim would have found suspicious, and it would have cost their group a few days while they had no time to spare.

Valerie was looking forward to arriving in Lothlorien, their final destination, before heading back home. She missed Glorfindel dreadfully. She could feel their bond in her fëa, and she knew he was missing her as much as she missed him. She could tell his anguish had returned with great intensity while he was away from her and their family. She imagined he had stopped sleeping again. She also assumed that through their bond, he had realized how tired she was. Did he know the cause of her exhaustion? Did he think it was only related to the journey, or did he feel that she was with child? Probably not.

She was tired of riding every day. Her back was aching, her backside was sore, the children were fed up of traveling and were whining a lot, especially Oropher. The journey had lost its interest for them. They wanted to stop and play, something Elladan rarely allowed, and only riding with Adam or Phoebe could cheer them up.

They stopped on a little hill near the borders of Lothlorien. It was almost sundown, and it was clear that they would not be sleeping in a comfortable bed that night, despite their hope earlier that day.

"Are we setting the camp here?" Adam asked Elladan. "We will have difficulty setting the tents between the trees if we go in the woods."

"We could, but I have no doubt that our presence was already noticed. The wardens must have seen us, we could rest on the flets tonight. And to be honest, we would be safer in the woods than on this hill."

"Then let us go into the woods," Valerie said. She knew that Elladan's first priority was their safety. And although they had been lucky enough not to have seen any orcs since the beginning of their journey, it did not mean that they would not see any tonight.

They kept riding until they reached the edge of the forest. It was getting dark and it started to rain. Mithrellas started to cry and Valerie grabbed her from Sidhwen's horse and sat her daughter in front of her, enveloping her in her cloak. Elladan was in the lead, confidently directing his horse between the trees. Valerie had more difficulty leading her horse in the darkness.

A whistle was heard above their heads, and suddenly, many armed wardens appeared in front of them. They bowed and Valerie realized that Haldir himself was welcoming them.

"Lady Valerie, Lord Elladan, it is a pleasure to welcome you in Lothlorien. My Lord and Lady have been expecting you for many days now."

"We are glad to have finally arrived, Lord Haldir. I will not lie and say that we are doing well. My children are tired and we need to rest."

"We have flets less than a mile from here. It should protect you from the rain."

Haldir looked at the rest of the group, and he frowned when he saw two red-haired warriors. "The _Naurothar_! I must admit, I had a hard time believing that your children had grown so quickly. Their reputation is hardly believable at that age."

He observed them while Phoebe and Adam watched him with something akin to contempt. They absolutely hated when people assumed they were too young to be dangerous. In Imladris, it had taken them a year to earn the complete trust of the other warriors, but now, all warriors, Glorfindel included, would trust them with their lives. Going to other realms meant for them to prove themselves all over again, and the people who doubted them would answer for their skepticism.

"As for me, I must admit, I am glad my mother chose Glorfindel!" Phoebe murmured in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear.

Valerie glared at her daughter. How could Phoebe insult the Marchwarden of Lothlorien in his face? And how did she even know that she could have married Haldir more than a decade before? Doubtlessly, it was due to the indiscretions of their fellow warriors.

"Our adar taught us to always speak the truth," Adam continued, following his sister's lead.

"I recall he also tried to instill diplomacy into your heads," Valerie replied, promising herself that her older twins would feel the consequences of their insults.

The Marchwarden's jaw was tense, she could tell he was deeply affronted.

"Marchwarden, please accept my deepest apologies for the behavior of my oldest children. It seems that we succeeded in turning them into warriors, but that we have dreadfully failed in making decent elflings out of them."

Phoebe's jaw dropped while Adam glared at his mother. The ultimate insult for them was to be treated like they were still elflings, and their mother had used that very word to describe them in front of Lothlorien warriors. Haldir and his guards were now smiling, Valerie's words having soothed the Marchwarden's wounded pride.

Valerie glared back at her children, defying them to add just another word. Adam dropped his eyes first while Phoebe was still shocked.

Valerie then presented her youngest children and the nannies, and the group rode further north in the forest, until Haldir indicated that it was time to stop.

"We have four flets in the trees above. I assume you will be requiring a ladder?"

"I would appreciate it," Valerie answered for all the ladies.

When it was time to give Nimrodel and Mithrellas to warriors so Valerie and Hiriliel could dismount, they realized that many Lothlorien warriors wanted the honor. Hiriliel looked at Valerie, who nodded in agreement. It was more than likely that this scene would repeat itself many times over the next few weeks.

They simply gave the children to just any Lothlorien warrior around, although it was clear that Oropher's popularity was moderate. They were not encircling him like they did for her daughters. Valerie could not believe that adults would fault a child for the mistakes of his previous life, a life he did not even remember.

Elladan helped Valerie to climb the rope ladder. The opening of her cloak revealed the baby bump that had appeared a few weeks back. Elladan was about to follow her when he felt Haldir's hand on his arm.

"She is with child?"

"Yes."

"Why did the Captain of Imladris allowed her to travel in that state?"

"He was not aware."

"How is that even possible?"

"I do not know. This is none of our business."

"We have received word from Imladris."

"What are the news?"

"Orcs are all over the mountain pass. Something has drawn them in that area. Glorfindel has requested that his family remains here until further notice."

"For how long?"

"He did not say. It could be months."

Elladan frowned. There was a distinct possibility that Valerie would have to give birth here, in Lothlorien. Away from her mate. What a mess! He started regretting not to have brought her back to Imladris the moment he had realized she was pregnant.

In the tree above, they heard a whispered argument between Valerie and her older children, but they could not understand what was being said since they were speaking in the strange language they had been speaking when they had arrived from their world.

"They are spirited," Haldir remarked.

"Like their mother."

Elladan went up the ladder and made sure that everyone was comfortable before he allowed himself to sleep for a few hours.

* * *

 _A/N: The story will cover the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Oropher was added to the family, and Aragorn is now born! Phoebe will be more present from now on, I like having another female character to play with… A reader (thank you btlmotormouth!) suggested a Thranduil-Valerie match. I am not sure I can write another complete story, but let me know if a few ficklets on this match would interest you!_

 _fihunt: Allison had the little Elrinor she was dreaming of – and he is best buddies with Oropher…_

 _Paperlanterns86: we will see if your assumption will turn out right about Legolas in the next chapter._

 _SamandJake: Hi, there will be drama in this story later on, but I don't intend to have a couple who doesn't love each other like Emily and Erestor in the Haldir version. There are too many happy matches possible in this version!_

 _Princessnera: it seems many readers shared your surprise! There will be quite a few great moments with all these ellith to write about!_

 _RW28: the answer to your questions will come in the next chapter. Let me know what you think!_

 _Faye50free: I will try to keep up with the quick updates so you can have your fixes frequently! :-)_

 _glassary: you are right, Mithrellas is a great reborn elf because she had no prior permanent attachment – I had to make a choice of mate, which you will discover in a few chapters!_

 _Foofie01: glad to have surprised you. It is sometimes difficult to find new original ideas for this version._

 _Blackunicorne: I am not very familiar with Feanor and Maglor. I will look into their stories, see if it inspires me. Thanks for the tip!_

 _Amy: I didn't know David Boals – I looked him up – he is fairly close to what I was imagining myself!_

 _Woman of Letters: thank you for your review. I do try to make each story different. This one will take a more dramatic turn at some point, but I always make sure that there is a happy ending for everyone. I hope you will keep reading my story!_

 _Maggie: Yes, you will see some protective Glorfindel fairly soon!_

 _KrystylSky: Allison will not give birth to prophecy children – only Valerie and Glorfindel can have them. But I hope you will be pleased with my choice of mate for Thranduil, it will be disclosed shortly!_


	10. Chapter 10 - Galadriel's mirror

_Chapter 9 ended with:_

 _In the tree above, they heard a whispered argument between Valerie and her older children, but they could not understand what was being said since they were speaking in the strange language they had been speaking when they had arrived from their world._

" _They are spirited," Haldir remarked._

" _Like their mother."_

 _Elladan went up the ladder and made sure that everyone was comfortable before he allowed himself to sleep for a few hours._

 **Chapter 10 – Galadriel's Mirror**

Morning came quickly, and Valerie did not feel like she had slept nearly enough.

"Finally, the sleeping beauty is opening her eyes!"

Valerie immediately recognized the voice. "Arwen!"

Elrond's daughter was sitting on the flet, waiting for her awakening and watching her with a pleased smile. With a pang of regret, Valerie realized how much she had missed her friend in the past decade. Between her husband, her children and her duties in Imladris, she had had very little time to develop a true friendship with another elleth. What little time she had, she was spending with Allison, Sidhwen and Hiriliel. But with the latter, she had never truly felt comfortable enough to confide her deepest thoughts and feelings, something she had shared with Arwen.

She had forgotten how extremely beautiful Arwen was, and how much she deserved being called the Evenstar. She was still the same, as if Valerie had seen her just the day before. It was simply incredible how elves did not change. Valerie quickly sat and opened her arms so she could hug her friend.

"Oh gods! Arwen! You have not changed one bit!"

"Neither did you," Arwen laughed softly. "Still having a hard time with the immortality part, do you?"

"I guess I am! I missed you so much! Did you see the kids?"

"Nimrodel and Mithrellas are so beautiful! They are little ladies now! And Oropher! What a cutie! He looks so much like his son!"

"At least, you seem a little enthusiastic about him. It was not the case with the wardens last night. It was not a warm welcome for him, my poor little angel."

"Some people have a hard time with change. Do not forget Oropher has history with many elven leaders, not always a positive one. For me, he is just a child. I am hoping that the education and love you will provide him will turn him into a better version of himself."

"Tell me, was he truly that bad?"

"Let us say that Thranduil and him have a lot in common. The apple did not fall far from the tree."

"Lovely!" Valerie cried with sarcasm. "What I needed all this time was an Ice King in my home!"

"I see that congratulations are in order?" Arwen said with an uncertain but nevertheless soft smile. She gently touched Valerie's bulging stomach. "I was not aware that you were with child."

Valerie did not realize Arwen's lack of enthusiasm. "Yes! I cannot wait to be back home. I hope I will be able to rest this month before we go on our journey back to Imladris."

"Valerie," Arwen murmured, taking her friend's hands in hers. "I am afraid I have some sad news."

Valerie stared. "Did something happen in Imladris? Glorfindel?" She touched her chest, trying to feel in her heart if her fëa-mate was unwell. She had not felt from him anything worse than the anguish of their separation. Had she been mistaken? Was he actually in trouble while she was here, relaxing in Lothlorien?

"Glorfindel is doing well, as far as I know," Arwen reassured her. "We got a message from my adar a few weeks back. The eagles were kind enough to deliver it swiftly. Orcs are all over the mountain pass. It is not safe to cross it for now."

"But it will all be cleared when we head back in a month, right?"

"Valerie... it is unlikely that you will be able to go back to Imladris for many, many months." Arwen was gently trying to have Valerie realize that she would probably give birth to her baby in Lothlorien. Not in Imladris, not with her mate beside her. But where she was now, with friends.

"I will go anyway," Valerie cried. "Glorfindel needs to see his child be born!"

"No, you will not. No one will allow you to endanger the lives of your children. And your life, Phoebe's and Adam's are just as precious to us as a matter of fact. The wardens will chain you to a Mallorn tree before allowing you to leave when orcs are roaming all over the mountain pass."

Valerie turned her head away to hide her tears. She should never have left Imladris. This journey had been a complete mistake. She was no longer in the mood for creating connections with the Lothlorien people. She wanted to go home.

"I know you want to go home," Arwen said, pulling Valerie against her, and proving that Valerie had expressed her distress out loud. The Evenstar gently caressed Valerie's curly hair to soothe her. For her, Valerie was still so young! At 41 years old, had Valerie been born an elf, she would still be considered an elfling. Arwen, with her 2,690 years of wisdom, knew that Valerie would recover from the blow. Worse things could have happened. They could have been captured by orcs between Dol Amroth and Lothlorien, and been killed without mercy. If Valerie was giving birth to a healthy child and recovered quickly, the fact that Glorfindel had not attended the birth was nothing in comparison to the wonderful news of the arrival of another prophecy child.

"You are so tired, you see things in a dramatic manner. Your children are breaking their fast with the wardens. You must eat before we leave."

"I am not hungry."

"You need to give energy to your body for your child to grow. Just a bit of lembas and fruits?" she cajoled Valerie.

"I ate too much lembas in the past weeks. I cannot stand the sight of it. I will never eat lembas again."

"I am sure the wardens have honey. How long since you had honey on a fresh piece of bread?"

"A while," Valerie admitted, salivating already at the thought that she could eat something sweet. She had craved sweets for weeks now.

"Come, I will get you some honey. Haldir will lead us to the city where my grandparents are waiting for you. You will see the beauty of Caras Galadhon. And if you are a good girl, maybe my grandmother will allow you to spy on Glorfindel in her mirror!"

OoOoO

A month. Valerie had been in Lothlorien for an entire month, and still, no news from Imladris.

She was sitting with Oropher on the highest flet of Lothlorien, located on the tallest Mallorn tree. She liked the view on the forest. It was a peaceful place to rest, away from the city and its inhabitants. People had been very generous, very welcoming, but Valerie was tired of all the attention. Phoebe and Adam currently were at the Eastern border, spending time with the wardens, learning to track orcs in the deepest of forests. It only left Valerie and her younger children to be the center of attention. Her daughters in particular were extremely popular. Ladies that had known Mithrellas and Nimrodel were constantly asking to babysit them, bringing them in their circles, cajoling them, giving them an insane quantity of sweets and presents. Valerie had no doubt that her daughters would come back to Imladris spoiled rotten and that getting them back into a normal routine would be quite a challenge.

As for Oropher, he was following his sisters everywhere since there were no other elflings to play with in Lothlorien either. He was also spending more time with his naneth, enjoying her full attention while he could. He knew that once they would be back home, Valerie would start splitting her attention again between him and all his siblings.

"Nana?" Oropher called her. "When will we see Elrinor?"

Oropher was missing his cousin, his friend, who was now alone in Imladris.

"I do not know, sweetheart. I am awaiting a note from your adar allowing us to go back home."

"He does not want us anymore? He will not allow us to go back home? He no longer loves us?"

Valerie pulled him against her. "You cannot be more wrong, Oropher. It is because he loves us dearly that he wants to protect us. You know these monsters I was telling you about?"

"Orcs?"

"Yes, orcs. They are cruel, vicious creatures that want to hurt people like us. You adar wants to make sure that he killed all the orcs in the mountain pass before we go home by that route."

"What if we go back home by Belfalas? We could go to the beach again!"

It was indeed a solution Valerie had thought about, but it was too late. She was five months pregnant. She could not travel another three, four months, chances were she would give birth in the wild. They were trapped in Lothlorien.

"We cannot, sweetheart. We will have to wait here, until your adar decides that we can go back home."

Oropher whined a little but stopped when Valerie took out the little cakes she had brought for him. While he was eating, she started reading a book that Arwen had lent her. They were quiet for a little while when Oropher shook her.

"Nana, there is a bird!"

Valerie did not even lift her eyes from the book. "Yes, there is a bird," she replied distractedly.

"It is a big, big bird!" he insisted, shaking her with more energy.

Valerie finally looked at the sky where he was pointing and saw that indeed, a very big bird was flying above them.

"It is an eagle! Maybe Ada wrote to us to say that we can go back home?" he said, hopeful.

Valerie was as hopeful as he was. She expected to see the bird go down below the leaves and land wherever the eagles left the messages when they agreed to carry them for the elves. But instead, the eagle flew above them in great circles, until he landed on a solid branch nearby. Mother and child could clearly see that a parchment was attached to one of its legs. It truly was the biggest bird Valerie had ever seen. If she had not been told that eagles were friends of the elves, she would have run away the moment they had seen the bird in the sky. One hit with its beak could probably kill an adult elf.

"I think the eagle wants us to go get the letter on its leg," Oropher murmured.

"We will have to go get some help."

"Why? We are here?"

"I am carrying a baby, Oropher! I cannot climb to reach the eagle!"

"I can do it!"

"No, no, it is too dangerous! Oropher!" she cried in vain. Her son was already climbing a nearby branch, and barely escaped her hand as she tried to grab him before he was out of reach. He was like a little monkey, reaching the eagle within a few moments.

"Be careful!" Valerie cried, and she started praying the Valar that the eagle would not attack him. Beyond any doubt, Oropher had no more sense of self-preservation in his second life than he had had in his first! Seeing that the eagle ignored her son, she then prayed that Oropher would not fall down the tree. That would mean certain death and then, how would she face the angry elves of Middle Earth after she had let her reborn son stupidly risk his precious life? She could not even begin to imagine King Thranduil's reaction!

But Oropher was stable on the branch, and he carefully removed the parchment and the bit of string that had kept it attached to the eagle's leg. He moved away a little and thanked the eagle for bringing word from his adar.

Its task accomplished, the eagle flew away without looking back. Oropher came back on the flet to stand in front of his naneth, his blue eyes full of triumph. He casually gave her the parchment as if he had simply received it from a servant of Lord Celeborn.

"What is Ada saying?"

Valerie realized that the seal on the envelope was not the Golden Flower seal. It was not the Imladris seal either. It was one she was not familiar with.

"I do not believe it is from Ada. Maybe it is not even for us?"

"I do not think the eagle would have allowed me to take it if it was not for us," the child reasoned.

"You think I should open it?" she asked, as if a 5-year old was going to give her good counsel.

He nodded vigorously. What else did she expect from a curious little ellon? She broke the seal and looked at the top of the letter. There, written in the beautiful elven characters, was her name. She looked for a signature at the bottom. Thranduil. The king of Greenwood had sent her a missive, knowing that she was in Lothlorien.

OoOoO

Valerie was walking arm in arm with Arwen in Galadriel's garden when a servant interrupted their stroll.

"My lady," the elleth told her, "we have received a letter from Imladris. It was sent to your attention."

Valerie took the letter and this time, recognized the seal of the House of the Golden Flower.

"Let's sit over there," Arwen said, directing their steps towards a bench underneath a canopy of flowers. "I am curious to know if the mountain pass is cleared from this vermin!"

"Maybe we can go back home!" Valerie prayed. She sat down with Arwen and immediately broke the seal. The letter was short, very short, as if Glorfindel had written it between two skirmishes in the valley near Imladris.

 _My love,_

 _I am relieved to know that you are now safe in Lothlorien. The bad news first: our warriors, myself included, have spent two months in the mountain pass, and although we found and destroyed two orcs' nests, the area is still too dangerous for travelers. I have no choice but to ask you to remain in Lothlorien until further notice._

"We cannot go home," Valerie started sobbing heart-brokenly.

"I am sorry to hear this," Arwen said, pulling her friend against her to give her whatever comfort she could. Sometimes, Valerie acted like with wisdom, and other times like today, she acted like the 41-year old that she was, so young and easily overwhelmed. "I will try to make your stay here as agreeable as possible." She rocked Valerie while the pregnant elleth had started realizing that the worst case scenario was taking place. She would give birth in Lothlorien, far away from her mate. And Valerie could not go back to Imladris before her baby would be a few months old. She was contemplating a separation of more than a year with her Glorfindel. Barely an instant in an elf's life, but for Valerie, it still seemed like an eternity.

Arwen let Valerie cry for a long time, knowing that Valerie had remained stoic about the whole thing in front of the Lothlorien elves, but that she could no longer hold the mask. Eventually, Valerie's tears ceased and she just stared ahead of her, lost in her thoughts.

"Finish the letter. I am sure Glorfindel had some nice words for you. It will cheer you up," Arwen recommended.

Valerie took the parchment back and slowly reopened it, as if dreading some other horrible news.

 _I miss you dearly, you and our children. I will not rest until the pass is safe, even if I have to kill these beasts all by myself with my bare hands._ _Mount Doom_ _will freeze over before I will allow us to be_ _parted_ _again._

That last sentence was underlined twice. It made Valerie smile despite the heartache.

 _Give a kiss to our children, and tell them that their adar will come to Lothlorien to get them as soon as he can. You are in my thoughts every minute of the day. Take care of you, naur nin, and pray the Valar that our separation will be short._

 _I am forever yours,_

 _Glorfindel_

The letter was short for a reason. He truly had been writing it between two rides to attack the orcs. The words were not too compromising in case the letter had fallen in the wrong hands, but she could still feel his love behind the words. He was worried about her as much as she was worried about him. He must have felt something was off with her. One thing was sure, if he had known that she was with child, he would have mentioned it in the letter. Maybe it was for the best. Otherwise, he would have risked his life already to join her. But could she really hide her pregnancy to him and welcome him with an elfling once he finally arrived in Lothlorien?

"So?" Arwen asked. She was too polite to read over Valerie's shoulder.

"He is at the mountain pass, trying to kill all the orcs to make sure that we can go home."

"Hardly surprising. If something prevents you from being reunited, you can be sure that our captain will take care of the problem personally. Would you... would you like to see him?"

"How?"

"Maybe I can talk my grandmother into letting you watch him in her mirror."

Valerie was hesitant. "I have not heard the nicest things about this mirror. I have heard that some people regretted watching images in it, as their future was not what they had hoped for."

"True," Arwen admitted. "I never had the courage to look into it myself. But my father did, many times."

"There is a world of difference between your father and I! What makes you think that I would take the risk of watching my future into it?"

"Because you are more curious and courageous than the average elleth," a third voice entered the conversation.

Valerie was about to stand when Lady Galadriel made a gesture for her to remain seated. She herself sat on a nearby bench.

"I have watched your past, present and future many times, Valerie Thompson. Your world is very strange, but I do not tire myself of watching it. As for your future... an eternity cannot only be made of bliss and love, sweet child. We are living in Middle Earth after all. Many people cannot find the courage to face the obstacles they will find on their way. I know it is not the case for you. And I would imagine you would not see everything. The Valar do not allow me to see all I want, I can only see images in due time, when they feel I am ready to see them. Generally, I can help our race whenever I can once I am shown what to do..."

"I just want to see Glorfindel."

"You cannot choose what you will see. It is not up to you to decide."

"I will take a chance." She was determined to see her husband in the mountain pass. She needed to be reassured that he was well.

"Then I suggest that we go before sundown. Your children will come back to your talan soon. Are you coming, Arwen?"

"No, I do not want to look in your mirror."

"I will tell you if I see your future mate," Valerie promised with a smile, her prior sadness forgotten and replaced by excitement.

"I do not want to know who he is," Arwen repeated.

"Fine, I will only tell you if he is good-looking or not."

"You truly act like an elfling sometimes," Arwen sighed with false hopelessness. But Valerie could tell that she was curious. What an actress Elrond's daughter was!

She followed Lady Galadriel to her private garden, wondering what the mirror would look like. She was almost disappointed to see that the mirror truly was a basin in which the lady was pouring some water. She had somehow expected a mirror like in the story of Snow White!

Once the basin was ready, Galadriel moved back and asked Valerie to come closer to her mirror. Suddenly nervous, Valerie hesitated for a second, but she had asked to look into the mirror, and she would not chicken out. She walked closer and peaked quickly, but all there was was water.

"I cannot see anything!"

"Patience, young one, patience."

Valerie almost bristled at being treated like a little girl, but since Galadriel was several ages her senior, and that she was the ruler of Lothlorien, the place where she was stuck for months, she reigned in her annoyance and looked back into the basin, waiting more patiently for something to happen.

She was not disappointed. The water started becoming blurry, and swirls of smoke appeared, before Valerie started seeing images that meant something to her. Images of Allison and her as young children, her parents, her brother John, mostly images that she would have preferred not to remember. The loneliness, the nannies that did not give her the love she craved for, her rebellion against her parents, and then, her young adult life, a happier period for her. Her successful career as head of a fashion magazine owned by her family, the birth of Phoebe and Adam, her closeness with her sister.

These images of a modern world suddenly stopped, and the swirls of smoke reappeared to show her visions she had never seen before. Her family attending her funerals, if her picture on top of a closed coffin could be trusted. Allison cradling Adam and Phoebe against her chest while the rest of the family were murmuring quietly. And then, policemen searching her house and her backyard. Her mother crying in her kitchen while her father looked powerless, an expression she had never seen on his face before. Once again, funerals, this time with three coffins, and her parents looking much older than they used to. Her _dear_ brother John looked indifferent. She could feel her anger against him come back to the surface, even after eleven years without seeing him.

The pace at which the visions were appearing picked up, and she saw her father on his death bed, with only his wife beside him. And then, her mother dying alone in a hospital. Great sadness enveloped Valerie's mind. Her parents had never given her the love she wanted, too busy managing the Thompson empire or attending social events full of rich and famous people. But despite what all these people were worth, John Thompson and his wife Victoria had died alone.

"They will die like you lived in your childhood. Alone with paid people taking care of them," Lady Galadriel said with a soothing voice, feeling Valerie's distress.

"This is the future, not the past?" Valerie asked.

Galadriel nodded.

"I am not looking to be avenged. Yes, they failed immensely as parents, my sister Allison would agree with me. But still, they do not deserve this faith. They looked sad, regretful, after our deaths have been declared despite the absence of bodies."

"Yes. They became reclusive after this. Your brother replaced your father at the head of the family empire and they will just... waste the rest of their lives."

"How can we avoid this?"

Galadriel stared at her. _"Why? Why would you want to change their destiny?"_ a voice asked in Valerie's head.

"I want them to live in peace, even if they cannot be happy. I do not want them to finish their lives in remorse and solitude. Allison and I are happy here. We have found love, family, many friends, we have found a purpose. I do not wish their lives to be filled with misfortune if I am at peace."

"You have great wisdom for one your age. Unfortunately, there is nothing that I can do to change your parents' destiny. At best, we could try to send them dreams of your life here, but they may not recognize them as a reality."

"Please do that! It would at least give them some comfort during the night."

"I will see what I can do. Now, will you continue looking? I am sure there are other visions that the mirror has for you..."

Valerie bent over the mirror again, and the now familiar swirls of smoke appeared, this time revealing Glorfindel riding his stallion, at the head of a group of warriors attacking orcs that were running everywhere, trying to avoid the deadly swords of the elven guards. Glorfindel beheaded two before Valerie's eyes before the vision changed to show her the graveyard of Imladris, where the fallen warriors were put to rest. She saw herself, dressed in black, kneeling in front of a fresh mound of earth. Who had died?

Then she saw an older version of Phoebe talking with Thranduil, the _Ice King_ himself, and to her utter disbelief, the king of Greenwood pulled her against him and gave her a kiss on the neck in a very inappropriate manner. The next flash showed herself rocking a crying mortal child, a young boy who had a scraped knee, and then her with this boy, now a man, and she gave him a kiss which he returned with the tenderness of a son. Who was this boy becoming an important man in her life?

Then she saw darkness, she saw war, thousands and thousands of orcs attacking cities, she saw men and elves united while fighting evil. The last image was an eye at the top of a tower, an eye that whispered unrecognizable words that hurt her very soul. She gasped and tried to move away from the basin, but it was as if the eye was keeping her paralyzed on the spot. The words kept hurting her, and she cried until she felt Lady Galadriel pull her from behind. They both fell on the grass, Valerie breathing heavily, scared beyond words.

"What was that?" Valerie finally screamed, overcoming the paralyzing fear.

"I have never seen this before," the Lady of Light murmured.

"What was it saying?"

"I do not know. It was said in the black speech. But fear not, the mirror shows us things that may not come to pass. Let us hope that whatever it was, your presence here, all the good you are doing by allowing all these elven fëar to be reborn will help avoid its appearance."

"Let us hope so! I am not sure I should have looked into your mirror. There are some worrying things that appeared before my eyes."

"I know, I have seen them too. Unfortunately, I have no answers for you. You must discover what the mirror meant in due time..."

They both stood and removed the blades of grass on their dresses.

"At least, you now know what to answer to King Thranduil."

"How do you know that he wrote me a letter?"

Galadriel simply smiled but did not explain how she had come to know that particular information. "Go, my child. Your children are waiting for you."

Still troubled, Valerie quickly curtsied and almost ran to her guest talan.

Galadriel watched her leave her private garden with worry. She suddenly felt that her mate was there with her.

"What happened?" Celeborn asked, feeling her uneasiness.

"She saw an eye, a red, flaming eye, at the top of a tower. Her hair was floating on the water, becoming one with the red fire of the eye, as if the image was pulling her face to the mirror. I had to pull her away from the basin, I think it would have drowned her eventually if I had not been there! And all the while, the eye was speaking in the black speech, telling her that she had to be stopped, that she would not be allowed to give birth to more elven enemies."

"We need to speak to Elrond and Glorfindel. I have no idea what this eye is, for no one ever reported seeing it. But Valerie needs to be protected. She should not be allowed outside of Imladris anymore. Let the people go to her in the future if they want to see their reborn kin."

Valerie arrived to her talan, where Sidhwen and Hiriliel were getting her children ready to go have dinner in the common area. It was their evening routine, and many elves were stopping by their table to speak with Nimrodel and Mithrellas, asking about their activities of that day. Oropher was also answering the inquiries that were not directed to him, and the Lothlorien elves were starting to overcome their natural distrust of the former king of Greenwood. The little ellon just enjoyed the attention.

"Will you be joining us, my Lady?" Hiriliel asked her when she arrived. Then she took a good look at Valerie. "Are you unwell?" she asked, seeing her paleness and distressed state.

"I am fine, I am just tired. I will not join you for dinner, I am not hungry yet. Can you please bring me back something for later?"

"I will stay with you," Sidhwen replied in a tone that clearly indicated that Valerie had no say in her decision. "Come, I will help you change your dress, yours is full of grass stains. Did you roll in the grass with Lady Arwen today?"

"I fell," Valerie replied lamely.

She accepted Sidhwen's help, and gratefully receive a glass of apple juice to give her some energy.

"Can you please bring me some parchment, and my quill and ink?"

"Are you writing home, my Lady?"

"Amongst other things. Can you please have a messenger send word to Phoebe and Adam at the border, asking them to write a quick message to their adar? And after dinner, please ask the my youngest children to draw a little something for Glorfindel."

"Yes, my Lady."

Valerie was soon sitting in front of an empty sheet. She thought for a little bit. It was not every day that she was writing to a king.

 _Majesty,_

 _I am pleased to accept your invitation to spend some time in Greenwood. Please note that due to the unfortunate presence of orcs in the mountain pass, I will remain east of the mountains until further notice. I would not want to outstay my welcome by staying for many months in your fortress, but please know that I have a few months ahead of me before I give birth to my child. I will await your reply letting me know when the arrival of my family would be convenient. I do hope that the birth of my child will not be troublesome for your healers._

 _Regards,_

 _Valerie Thompson, Lady of the Golden Flower_

It was brief, but she did not feel like being overly nice with the cold ellon that ruled Greenwood. Although she knew he could be very passionate, if the image of him with her daughter could be trusted. Phoebe may have an affair with the king in the future. What a strange, disturbing thought.

She then took another parchment and started writing to Glorfindel. She told him how she regretted to have left Imladris, told him how she missed him and that she could feel that their separation was as difficult for him as it was for her. She informed him of the imminent birth of another heir to his house, and how she wished he would be there to attend this most important event. She gave him news of their children, and informed him of the fact that Adam and Phoebe were perfecting their training by guarding the Lothlorien borders under the harsh tutoring of the Marchwarden himself. It was the punishment she had deemed necessary as an atonement for their unacceptable behavior upon meeting Haldir when they had arrived in Lothlorien.

She finished the letter by informing him that she would more than likely journey to Greenwood soon, and to send his messenger there once the mountain pass was safe.

* * *

A/N: the evil will start rising soon in the East – and the events of the Hobbit will start in a few chapters! But before then, Valerie will spend some time in Greenwood with the Ice King himself…

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the story, who sent me messages and who asked me questions about the next events. I really enjoy reading your guesses – some of who have a lot of imagination while some of you know my writing style very well!

KrystylSky: you will know very soon!

Glassary: you will get more of Phoebe and Adam in the next few chapters – they will remain true to themselves!

Paperlanterns86: your answer will be in the next chapter, I will publish it within the next few days.

Foofie01: the fact that the story will also take place during the hobbit allows me to add more characters than in the other two. I hope you will enjoy it when the Hobbit events will start.

Fihunt: Thranduil and Oropher will meet in the next chapter, when Valerie goes to Greenwood. I hope you will like their encounter!

Maggie: there will be some family moments once the family is back to Imladris – in the meantime, I hope that you will enjoy Thranduil in the next chapter.

Princessnera: because I am covering the events of The Hobbit and the LOTR, I have to move the story by a few years once in a while, since these stories together last a few decades. They are usually jumps up of 4 to 5 years. A little hint – Glorfindel will not accept not to attend the birth of this child…

L: thank you for writing – I will see if I get inspired, many readers expressed interest…

JessG1875: you are right, it wouldn't make sense to have Legolas be a child of the prophecy – these children are reborn and Legolas never died. But there are still many possibilities around that!

Helenaalana: thanks for your PMs. I am certain you will enjoy chapter 11.


	11. Chapter 11 - the Greenwood Kin

_Chapter 10 ended with:_

 _Valerie finished the letter by informing Glorfindel that she would more than likely journey to Greenwood soon, and to send his messenger there once the mountain pass was safe._

 **Chapter 11 – the Greenwood Kin**

"Visitors have arrived at the northern border," Lady Galadriel told Valerie three weeks later. Just enough time for a Lothlorien messenger to deliver her letter in person and for a delegation to travel to Lothlorien.

"The Ice... the king sent a messenger to inform me that I can travel to Greenwood?" Valerie quickly corrected herself. She had to lose the habit of calling Thranduil the _Ice King_. That would certainly not help him with his frigidness in their future dealings.

"No, the king showed up in person. He is waiting for you at the border. With his son, no less." The fact that the king and his heir had both left their kingdom seemed to have caught Galadriel off guard.

"Really? Why?" Valerie had traveled all over Middle Earth with Elladan and their guards, she trusted that they could very well escort her to Greenwood without the king himself traveling with them.

"The king trusts no one but his own people. You will realize that soon enough."

"When will he be arriving to Caras Galadhon?"

"He will not be entering Lothlorien. The king has not visited our beloved city in millennia."

Puzzled, Valerie decided not to ask any more questions and intrude in the affairs of the rulers of Middle Earth.

"I expected to have more time to prepare, we have not even packed yet! At which border are my twins nowadays?"

"They were at the western border, I already sent word for them to meet us at the northern border as soon as possible. They should be there tomorrow."

"I will try to be ready by noon so we can all arrive at the border tonight. I would not want the king to wait for us while he is exposed in the valley. We can all sleep on the flets and leave for Greenwood tomorrow morning."

"As you wish. I am sure the king will appreciate your hastiness. But in all honesty... he deserves to wait a few days." It was the first time that Galadriel showed some animosity towards the king. Was she disappointed that Valerie would not give birth in Lothlorien? After all, it would have been a great event happening in the Golden Wood, especially if the child to be born was related to Lothlorien's history!

The next day at dawn, Thranduil was having breakfast with his son around a fire when movement was seen at the Lothlorien border. Was it possible that the family was already ready to leave? That would be a most pleasant surprise. He told his guards to start getting ready to leave and waited for the family to appear, his son by his side.

"You will see Lady Valerie again. I am curious to know if you will still feel that strange attraction for her," he murmured to Legolas.

"We shall see," Legolas replied with indifference, but his father was not fooled. His son was more interested in this matter than he wanted his adar to believe, even if they had not spoken of this in the past decade.

But instead of the family they were expecting, only Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were walking in their direction, their stance regal as usual.

"They will try to meddle in our affairs again," Legolas warned him.

"They have been trying for centuries without success," his adar replied, his cold mask already in place. "They are very slow to learn."

Legolas snorted. "Only you would dare insult them in such a way!"

"All I want is to see my father. They better not try to keep him away from us."

They stopped talking as the rulers of Lothlorien were now within earshot.

"Thranduil!" Celeborn said pleasantly, "I must admit I could not believe it when a messenger told us that you had journeyed with your son to escort Lady Valerie and her family to your home."

"Are you implying that my adar and his second family are not worth our full attention?"

"I have never said such a thing, Thranduil, you are putting words into my mouth!"

"Do not worry, Celeborn," Lady Galadriel said before the tension increased even more. "The king is only jesting."

"Am I?" Thranduil challenged her.

"We have come to warn you," she said, changing the subject. She always refused to answer the king when he taunted her. Her mate did not have the same control, and always got caught in arguments with the king, arguments that Thranduil usually won, to Celeborn's dismay.

"I assure you that Lady Valerie and her family are in no danger with me, such warnings are unnecessary and quite offensive, to be honest."

"We are not warning you because we think you will not take good care of them," Celeborn said with a smirk. "You are putting words into her mouth."

"Lady Valerie is in great danger." Galadriel suddenly had Thranduil's full attention.

"Can you be more precise about the nature of the danger she finds herself in?"

"She looked into my mirror. Something evil, an eye surrounded by flames, was threatening her life. Her face was being pulled into the water, she would have drowned, had I not been able to pull her away."

"She would not have drowned if you had not convinced her to look in your mirror so you would gain knowledge you were planning to use to your own advantage."

She did not allow the unequivocal criticism to anger her. She deeply regretted having allowed Valerie to look at these images. "She had just heard that she could not go back home and give birth to her child with her mate beside her. She wanted to see Glorfindel, she was and still is, very worried about him. But she saw... something evil that I had never encountered before."

"An eagle carried a message from us to Elrond, his reply came a few days ago. He has never seen this... eye before either. We will have to inform the Istari." Celeborn was truly worried about this latest development.

"Did it only try to drown her?"

"It spoke words in the black speech. It said she would not be allowed to give birth to elven enemies anymore."

"Direct threats on her life then. She will have to be guarded at all times when she is outside of the fortress, until we have identified the source of the danger," the king told his son. "I suggest we select guards that will follow her and her children everywhere. We can safely assume that the reborn elves are also in danger."

"It is a possibility," Lady Galadriel admitted.

"We could ask Cadworon and Brethilon to guard them," Legolas suggested. "They are our most trusted warriors."

"I am not sure they will need guards," Celeborn interjected. "Lord Elladan has been with them since they left Imladris. The _Naurothar_ are also there."

"If my memory serves me right, these children were five years old when they arrived eleven years ago. They are elflings. They cannot be considered reliable warriors, even if they have grown as quickly as mortal children."

"I would strongly recommend that you do not repeat such judgments in front of them. They are in conflict with Haldir for a similar comment made upon their arrival."

"I never thought subtlety was your Marchwarden's strongest quality. He just proved me right. Now, I trust that my reassurances satisfied your security requirements when it comes to the family. Will they be permitted to leave Lothlorien?" Thranduil asked as if Valerie was held in the Golden Woods against her will.

Celeborn rolled his eyes but nodded nevertheless while Galadriel pondered on the fact that each sentence pronounced by the king of Greenwood was designed to antagonize them. Why was their Greenwood kin so distrustful? Was he still angered by the general opinion that his adar Oropher had made a monumental mistake at the battle of Dagorlad, ignoring Gil-Galad's orders by hastily attacking the enemy lines, a fault that had cost him his life and those of most of his warriors? Could Thranduil still be resentful millennia following the sad events? Or had other misfortunes broken his once joyful character? She remembered him as a young ellon. He had always been arrogant and cynical, even as a child. But he had also liked having fun and had had numerous friends with whom he celebrated until dawn in the noisiest and shameless of manners. But no more. She had heard that he had been injured, a dreadful injury that had taken him years to recover from. No one had information to share about this, maybe it simply was a rumor. Elves were prone to gossiping like any other race. But she could feel magic around him, more than Elrond possessed. Thankfully, she knew herself to be more powerful than Thranduil. He was hiding something, the doors of his mind closed to her, magic crackling around him.

The king of Greenwood was a mystery, one she did not feel like delving into. She had an empathetic thought for Valerie's daughter. She had seen the images when Valerie had looked into her mirror. She had never thought that Thranduil would be attracted to such a young elleth. After the miserable failure that his arranged marriage had been, she had never thought that he would be serious about an elleth again. Or would he simply abuse of Phoebe's naivete and throw her away after he was done? She almost snorted. It might be the other way around after all. Phoebe would probably give the king a run for his money.

She had been studying Phoebe's mind, exploring the bond between her and her brother Adam, a connection that was similar to the bond between her grandsons, even if Valerie's children were not of the same gender. The character of the female warrior was like no other elleth's. She was clever, dedicated, independent, curious and perceptive. There was tremendous love for her family in her young heart. But her heart also contained an aggressiveness and a desire to hurt the enemy like she had only seen in human soldiers or in her own grandsons. No elf, not even the warriors, had this strong desire to hurt the enemy. It was destabilizing to find such dispositions in an elleth. No doubt the king of Greenwood would be repulsed by this.

"We will send them to you. I wish you a safe journey back home," she told the king.

The king and his son politely nodded.

The rulers of Lothlorien turned around and walked back in the direction of the woods where the Imladris people were waiting for their return after their secret discussion with the king.

"I feel sorry for them," Celeborn told his wife before they entered the woods. "It will be a boring and lonely stay for them in the Greenwood caves."

"At least, young Oropher will be popular, as Nimrodel and Mithrellas have been in Lothlorien. Our people will miss them both dearly. Such sweet little ellith. I hope we will have the pleasure of their visit again before they come of age."

"King Thranduil will take good care of you," Lady Galadriel told Valerie as her older children and Elladan were putting her youngest children on their horses. They had determined that her swollen stomach would not allow her children to ride with her anymore.

"Did you truly think he would not?" Valerie asked, unsure why the Lady of Light felt so protective of her. She imagined it had something to do with the flaming eye in the mirror. She had not believed the lady when she had said that she had not understood what the eye had said in the black speech. She was pretty sure that whatever had been said by the eye had been repeated to the king of Greenwood. Why was Thranduil allowed to know this information while she was not? Valerie was tired of being treated like a child. She may only be 41 years old, a terribly young age for an elf, but she was a mature adult nevertheless. She hated being shielded against her will. She suspected the king would tell her if she asked. He did not look like the type of ellon who would sugar-coat the truth.

"No, we were sure he would treat you well. But do not let him upset you. It is his favorite source of entertainment," Celeborn said.

"Are you sure you do not want to come with us?" Valerie asked Arwen, who was attending their departure with a mournful expression.

"I am sad to see you go, but I feel like I need to remain here. Please tell me that you will take care of yourself."

"I will," Valerie promised, and hugged her friend with affection, her belly preventing a closer embrace.

"Do not forget to tell my adar and Elrohir that I love them when you see them next."

"I will," Valerie promised again.

"Can I say goodbye to my sister?" Elladan said, playfully pulling them apart. Arwen started to cry in the arms of her brother. "Why do you cry?" he asked. "I will see you soon, in a decade or two."

Valerie marveled once again at the elves' perplexing notion of time. She had a lump in her throat just thinking that maybe she would not see Arwen for another 20 years, and Elladan was joking about it!

"I am hungry," Oropher cried. Phoebe sighed and gave him a piece of lembas. He nibbled on it, not realizing that goodbyes were going on around him. As long as his naneth and siblings were with him, all was well for him.

Elladan made sure everyone was ready, and after a curtsey to the rulers of Lothlorien and a last hug to Arwen, Valerie started pulling her mare in the direction of the camp where the Greenwood people were patiently waiting for them.

She saw Haldir standing on a flet above. She waved him goodbye and whispered her gratitude for training her irritating teenagers during the weeks they had been in Lothlorien. She knew he had heard her when he bowed, his hand on his heart. He had avoided her during her stay, and she had wondered if he was still angry for the events eleven years before, when she had shown up at the council already carrying Glorfindel's children. Maybe it was anger, perhaps it was disappointment. If it was the case, she hoped that he would eventually find happiness with another elleth.

Thranduil and Legolas had made sure their escort was ready to leave the camp, and had already spoken to the two warriors who would become the bodyguards of the family during their stay in Greenwood. They soon saw many people coming out of the woods, pulling their horses by the bridle. Three elflings were sitting on impressive stallions, each guided by Elladan Elrondion and two very young warriors he would not have recognized if not for their tell-tale red hair. They looked alike as much as a male and a female could, both being extremely attractive in their strangeness. Their naneth was walking before them, her strides energetic but graceful despite her round stomach. It had been a while that the Greenwood elves had seen a pregnant woman, and they heard a few murmurs behind them. Imladris warriors and two ellith who probably were the nannies were completing the group.

Thranduil and Legolas looked at the elves with curiosity, and on the king's part, well hidden nervousness. His adar was right there. Would he recognize him? And that little elfling who had spoken to him as a friend more than a decade before? The male elfling was sitting on the stallion that belonged to Lady Phoebe. Thranduil's heart almost stopped beating in his chest. It was a smaller version of his adar! He recognized his father in the childish facial features of the little ellon. However, the happiness and smile on his face were unusual. Oropher had always been a serious, undemonstrative ellon, even when Thranduil was a young elfling begging for his attention. Thranduil had copied his attitude early on in his life, but had always made sure to show his love to his son behind closed door. Legolas was the only elf who truly knew him.

The female warrior was chatting with his little adar and gave him a fruit in a gesture that showed how much she loved the little elfling. Oropher almost fell off the horse to give her hug, but she anticipated his movement and put him back straight before it was too late. She was wearing a tunic and leggings instead of a gown, and had a bow, quiver and a sword in her back. Her flaming red hair was attached in a bun, a hairstyle that suited her and was more feminine than the warrior braids. She had been a cute child when he had first met her, but she had the curvy body of a woman now. There was no denying that within the next two years, she would be an adult. He forced himself not to think about that time. He had not made eye contact yet, and wondered what would happen when they did.

"Which one is Nimrodel and which one is Mithrellas?" Legolas asked him.

"I know not, I had never met them before they disappeared. Are you merely asking out of curiosity, or is there something else I should be informed of?"

"The elleth on Elladan's horse... I feel a pull."

Thranduil frowned but eventually murmured that it might have explained why Legolas had felt a strange bond with Valerie a decade before, while being certain that he was not in love with her.

"You think I could already have felt a pull towards the elleth she was carrying?" Legolas asked, strong disbelief in his voice.

"It would not be the first time that the Valar surprise us."

"But both ellith were in love! They had a mate!"

"Nimrodel was in love with King Amroth. But Mithrellas married the Prince of Dol Amroth and left him after giving him two mortal children. Perhaps they were not mates, otherwise, she would not have left him while he was still alive."

They stopped talking as the Imladris elves were now within earshot. Valerie arrived first and gave her bridle to a nearby warrior while everyone else stopped a little further away. She curtsied elegantly in front of the king and his son.

"King Thranduil, I am surprised but delighted to see that you have personally made the journey. It will be an honor to visit your realm."

"The honor is ours," the king replied, his voice and facial expression warmer than she had expected. "We are pleased that you accepted our invitation. My people will be overjoyed to meet... your son."

Valerie appreciated the word he had just used. He had called Oropher her son instead of his father, a proof that he was willing to be more cooperative than Celeborn and Galadriel had expected. She decided to push her luck and test how much respect he had for her.

"Before we move on to the introductions, I was wondering if you would disclose some information I suspect you were privy too while I was not."

The king frowned slightly, but nodded to indicate that he would hear her request.

"I am certain that Lady Galadriel told you about an event that took place during my stay."

"What kind of event?" the king asked, looking bored, as if she was asking if he knew with whom she had danced at the last ball.

"The kind of event that an elleth of great wisdom such as Lady Galadriel would decide is not for the ears of one such as me."

"An elleth such as you?" he asked, hoping that she would clarify her thoughts.

"An elleth that can be considered a child by some righteous people, despite clear evidence that I am an adult and that I can take care of myself."

Thranduil grinned. "I believe you and I will get along well, Lady Valerie."

"It depends if you will treat me with the respect that I deserve, my Lord."

Thranduil studied her face for a little while. She had changed since he had last seen her. Not physically, but in the way she held herself, in her expression and in her eyes. She was much more mature, had gained in self-confidence and knowledge of the elven ways. She knew what she wanted, and she was not going to let the rulers of Lothlorien decide how her life would be handled. A singular elleth, one that must be keeping the Lord of the Golden Flower on edge. Was her daughter the same, he wondered.

"What did the flaming eye say?" Valerie insisted. "I am sure she told you."

"It said that you should be stopped from continuing the prophecy."

Valerie stared at him for a moment. Then, she proved the extent of her perspicacity by turning her gaze to her children. She had immediately understood that anything relating to the prophecy was being threatened. "My children are in danger also. I suspect my mate too, since his disappearance would stop the prophecy. Who is after us?"

"It is not certain at the time. This eye was never seen by anyone yet. You were the first to bring it out of the darkness."

"Somehow, that does not bring me any comfort."

"You had led me to believe that you could handle the knowledge. Will you make me regret giving you that information?"

Valerie lifted her chin in defiance. "It would have been good to know where the threats are coming from. But I am not afraid. Elladan and my twins are protecting us."

"Rest assured that your safety will be our highest priority," Legolas said loudly, as the others were coming closer, wondering what Valerie was discussing with the king. As captain of the Greenwood army, he would make sure that nothing would happen to them while they were under his watch. "I have asked two of our warriors to guard you. Cadworon and Brethilon are our deadliest warriors."

"My mother does not need guards from Greenwood to protect her!"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "I guess introductions are now overdue. This mischievous ellon is my first born, Adam Glorfindelion."

"I am serious, Mother! Between Elladan, Phoebe and myself, you do not need extra guards. We can protect you."

"Adam, please show the king and the prince that I have taught you a minimal amount of courtesy."

Adam came to stand beside his mother and bowed to the king and his son. His expression was cold, as if his own ability to protect his naneth was being questioned by Legolas. Fortunately for them all, Legolas knew to pick his battles.

"Then, Cadworon and Brethilon will be under the command of the Imladris leader. Is that you?" he asked Adam.

"No, that would be me," Elladan intervened, glaring at Adam, who defied Elrond's son before finally looking away.

"Lord Elladan, it is a rare event to see you without your twin brother," the king commented. "It is a pleasure to see you nonetheless."

"My brother now has a family of his own, he prefers to remain in Imladris. Not everyone feels like taking the road for months, be away from their mate, and while being pregnant no less!"

Valerie snorted. "I am not sure – is that yourself you are talking about, Elladan? Or are you talking about me?"

"What makes you think that I may have been talking about you?" Elladan asked, smirking.

"I do not know, is there anyone else expecting a child in the vicinity?"

"Your warriors will be a welcomed addition to our guard, my Lord," Elladan said, ignoring Valerie's last question. "I could not help but hear that Valerie and her children are in danger."

"We will soon be in our fortress, and then we can design a plan to keep them away from danger until it is safer to travel."

"Can we continue the introductions? I would not want my youngest children to be worried about this conversation. My Lords, these are my youngest daughters, Nimrodel and Mithrellas."

Adam helped Nimrodel to dismount while Elladan did the same for Mithrellas. The two young ellith had the distinctive silvery hair of Lothlorien elves, and both had hazel eyes, but that was their only common facial features. At ten years old, the two ellith still looked like 5-year-old mortal children, but were about to start the second growth spurt that would last approximately five years. Nimrodel was taller than Mithrellas, but the latter had an air of refinement that her sister did not have yet.

"Lady Nimrodel, Lady Mithrellas, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the king said gently. The little ellith both executed a perfect curtsey for children so young, under the proud gaze of their naneth.

"King Thranduil, we are delighted to visit your realm. We have been told that your fortress is unparalleled in all of Middle Earth," Nimrodel said, obviously reciting a welcome sentence she had been taught by someone. Considering the impressed look on her naneth's face, Valerie had not been the one who had taught it to her daughter.

Nimrodel turned to her sister, clearly expecting her sister to go on, but Mithrellas' attention was on Prince Legolas. She gently pushed her sister to get her attention back.

Mithrellas' eyes moved to her sister. "Why did you push me?" she asked, humiliated that her sister had shoved her in front of the king.

"As you can see, prophecy children are like normal children. They argue and fight like any other elflings," Valerie cut in, moving her daughters apart.

"Your daughters are delightful," Legolas said, but it was clear he was talking about Mithrellas in particular.

"What about me? Am I not delightful?" Oropher asked, put out to be presented after his sisters.

"Yes, than there this little rascal here!" Valerie said, walking closer to his horse. Phoebe pulled him down and he took his naneth's hand in his, taking Phoebe's in his other, and he lead them in front of the king.

"I am Oropher Glorfindelion, and this is my big sister Phoebe. She is so much nicer than Nimrodel and Mithrellas. These two are very annoying. They always complain and cry. But Phoebe, she is killing orcs with her sword and her bow. Once day, I will be a warrior like Phoebe and Adam, and I will kill orcs too! I will kill more orcs than them together!"

Adam snorted loudly while Valerie gave a knowing smile to the king and his son, silently asking them if Oropher had always been so talkative and arrogant. But neither Thranduil nor Legolas were truly watching her expression. Thranduil's eyes were moving between the elfling and his oldest sister, while Legolas' were still fixated on Mithrellas. She frowned, wondering what was going on there. She discreetly turned to Elladan, who bore a similar annoyed expression. He quickly shook his head when she opened her mouth to inquire about their distraction. _We will talk later,_ he silently mouthed.

"My Lord?" Valerie reminded the king that her son and her daughter were still waiting to be acknowledged by him.

Thranduil finally shook himself and put a knee down in front of Oropher.

"Oropher, you cannot imagine how glad I am to make your acquaintance." He held out his hand for an elven handshake. Oropher greeted him in the same manner, and watched the king very closely.

"Nana, the king's hair and eyes are similar to mine!" he claimed, proving his cleverness at the same time.

"You think so?" Valerie asked, feigning to observe the king to see if there truly was a resemblance. "Maybe a little bit," she admitted, omitting to say that their resemblance was astonishing.

Every Greenwood elf understood that the prophecy children were not aware that they were reborn elves, to ensure they would have a normal second childhood.

"Why do I not look like Ada or like you?"

"Because you are much cuter than your adar!" Valerie said convincingly, caressing his head gently with her hand. "And believe me, you do not want to have my hair!"

"I like your hair, Nana! Ada says it is like silky fire!"

Valerie blushed under the strange praise in the mouth of an elfling. Thranduil silently agreed with Glorfindel while he watched the hair of Valerie's eldest daughter. His hand itched to touch it, but he kept the impulse in check. How strange! He had not felt like touching an elleth's hair in millennia.

"I miss Ada, when will we go home?" Oropher asked, talkative like Thranduil had never known him to be. Had he been like this as an elfling, or was it the result of his upbringing into a different family?

"The mountain pass is dangerous, sweetheart, I told you before. We will visit King Thranduil before we can go back home. It will take a few months."

Oropher then did something that shocked the Greenwood elves but seemed natural for their Imladris kin. He grabbed his naneth's round stomach, and putting his mouth against it, he said: "You hear that, my brother? We will be home soon and we will see Ada again!" He then stared at Valerie's stomach, and seemed satisfied when he felt a movement in her stomach. "He says he cannot wait to be home!"

"I am sure he is as excited as you are," Valerie said with a tender smile. "Unless it is an elleth..."

"No, it cannot be an elleth. Ellith are troublesome!"

"Thank you, Oropher!" Phoebe huffed with disdain.

"I am sure all your sisters are charming," Thranduil said, standing up. He took the opportunity to finally speak to Valerie's daughter. "Lady Phoebe, you probably do not remember, but we have met before."

"I remember that day very well, my Lord. We were near a river with my mother when you first spoke to me. I gave you a rock as a token of friendship, if my memory serves me right."

"Yes, you did."

"Did you keep it?" she asked very seriously.

Valerie laughed, trying to save the king the embarrassment of having to admit that he had gotten rid of it at the time. "Phoebe, it was just a little rock!"

"My Lady, I have not lost the gift you had given me at the time," the king replied to Phoebe. "Its shape had a particular meaning for you."

She grinned, looking satisfied at the news. Her smile changed into an expression of seduction Valerie had never seen on her daughter's face. Something passed between the king and her, something that Valerie, speechless, could only identify as flirtation. The king seemed to realize how inappropriate his stare was when fixated on one that still technically was an elfling for a little more than a year.

His affable countenance changed and the cold mask was back in place immediately.

"Are we ready to leave? The nights are starting to be colder, we should ride as much as we can during the day so we can arrive to my fortress in a relatively short time."

"We will stop when Lady Valerie will need to rest," Elladan established. "Her pregnancy is more advanced than during the first part of our journey."

Valerie put a gentle hand on the arm of her friend. "I agree with the king. I want to reach his realm as soon as possible. Do not worry for me, Elladan, I will let you know if I am unwell."

During the few days it took to reach the road that was crossing the forest from the western side to the east, Valerie did not stop them once and was able to follow the others as if her pregnancy was not making the journey more difficult for her. But it was not the case. She could feel the difference between the first part of her journey and now. If Glorfindel had been with her, she might have told him in how much pain she actually was in. The muscles in her back were so stiff she could barely dismount at the end of the day and sleeping was difficult. But King Thranduil's constant frown was not boding well to a potential request to stop for a day or two to allow her to rest. The king was worried and wanted to reach his fortress as soon as possible.

They camped near the forest one night, to discuss the potential threats while journeying on the road. Adam and Phoebe seemed excited at the prospect of seeing spiders while Elladan was attempting to temper their enthusiasm without much success. At that point, Valerie was too tired to care. She lied down in her tent, surrounded by her youngest children, and caressed their fair heads while they were trying to fall asleep. She was the first one to fall into a deep slumber while they were still chatting around her.

She awoke to the sounds of the camp around her tent. Children laughter, low voices of ellyn, birds singing in the forest, and the wind, getting colder every day. She shivered and tried to keep her warmth under her heavy blanket. What time was it? She opened her eyes and noticed through the opening of the tent that the sun was up. Had she overslept? The king would be angry with her if she had delayed their departure!

She caressed her stomach and received a greeting from her unborn child. She smiled, feeling that her back was much better this morning. She quickly brushed her hair and arranged her dress before she came out of the tent. The light blinded her for a moment. She soon realized that the sun was much higher than she had expected. Phoebe was further away, playing with Nimrodel, Oropher and Mithrellas, singing songs with them. Her big girl, always taking care of her siblings. Phoebe was a warrior, but she also was a soon-to-be woman, with the loving temperament of an elleth when she was not on a warpath. Adam, on the other hand, was only thinking of his training and how many orcs he had killed. She had often wondered if Phoebe would have trained so seriously if she had not been the twin sister of such a dedicated warrior. She looked so peaceful with her young siblings, her expression joyful instead of being so fierce and serious like when she was with the warriors.

She decided not to disturb the singers and walked to Elladan and Adam who were talking near the fire. "What time is it?" she asked them.

"We had lunch a few hours ago," Adam informed her. "Are you hungry?"

"Lunch? You had _lunch_? When are we leaving?" she asked, panicking, looking everywhere for the king and his son, who were certainly ready to leave and waiting for her to wake up.

"Tomorrow."

"Why? Why did you not wake me up?" she asked, her gaze coming back to them since she had not seen the Elvenking in the vicinity.

"We determined that after a week of travel, you deserved to have a lie-in today."

"Who is _we_? Who determined that?"

"I thought about it," Elladan said, "and then... I asked Phoebe to ask the king."

"Phoebe? Why?"

"Because I felt that, of all people, Phoebe had a better chance of obtaining a day of rest for you."

Before Valerie had time to ask Elladan to voice his suspicions, Adam offered her a bowl with some rabbit meat and vegetables. Between her curiosity and her hunger, her stomach won the battle. Valerie sat and took the bowl from her son.

"Where is the king?" she asked between two mouthfuls.

"He went with his son and a few warriors to inspect the forest road. They wanted to make sure it is safe. We will only stop a few hours over the next two days, we cannot camp in the forest. It is too dangerous."

"I do not like the look of this forest," Valerie mumbled. "I have a bad feeling."

"I will protect you," Adam told her with the recklessness and self-assurance of youth.

"I know you will," Valerie replied, gently touching his cheek. Her oldest son, her courageous warrior. Battles, killing orcs was all he thought about. He seemed happy even thought it was not exactly what she had in mind when she asked Glorfindel to get her children in her world. He had found his purpose in Middle Earth, even if it put his life in danger regularly.

She finished her meal and joined Phoebe and her younger children, spending the rest of the afternoon playing with them.

The next day, they departed at dawn and journeyed on the forest road for many hours without stopping once. Once in a while, they were hearing warriors hidden in the trees who were guarding the road, whistling tunes that obviously meant something to the Greenwood warriors.

"The road is safe until the next post," Legolas informed them.

The children were bored and were being passed from a rider to another so they could chat with different people. Valerie was riding between Elladan and Adam, while Phoebe was a little further away. The Greenwood warriors who were in charge of her safety, Brethilon and Cadworon, were nearby, their eyes never leaving her or her reborn children.

They kept riding during the night. Valerie was half asleep on her mare, while Phoebe, who was now riding beside her, was holding her mother's bridle. The younger children were asleep too, Mithrellas in front of Phoebe, while Oropher and Nimrodel were sleeping in Sidhwen and Hiriliel's arms.

Phoebe watched her mother with pride. How she could still be standing while her stomach looked about to explode was beyond her. Valerie had insisted to carry her own bow and quiver, but Phoebe knew that no one would allow her to use them. Too many warriors were dedicated to her safety.

Adam appeared beside his sister. "The warriors are whispering that the silence in the forest is suspicious."

"I think we should wake Mother. She should not be awaken by an attack."

"Please do. Just in case..." Adam left his sister to ride closer to Prince Legolas and Elladan, who were whispering quietly, their eyes observing the dark forest on the south of the path.

"Mithrellas, wake up, Sweetie," Phoebe gently shook her sister.

"Phoebe?" the little elleth asked her sister. "Is it daytime already?"

"No, but I need you to be awake. Mommy!" Phoebe called softly, touching her mother's shoulder.

As Mithrellas had asked before, Valerie asked if it was dawn.

"No, but we all need to be awake."

Valerie did not need to be told why. The serious expression of all the warriors surrounding them informed her of what was going on. Her eyes quickly assessed the positions of all her children.

"What is the plan?" she asked her daughter.

"I have not heard yet," Phoebe admitted. The fact that she had a child sitting in front of her excluded her from the elaboration of the plan by the warriors in charge. She pulled Mithrellas against her. Adam would have been quite displeased he had found himself in her situation, but for her, protecting her younger siblings and her pregnant mother was her only concern. She knew she could accomplish that in many different ways. She did not have male pride clouding her judgment.

Elladan joined them shortly after. "If we get attacked, the threat will come from the south."

"What are they expecting?" Phoebe asked.

"Spiders, more than likely."

"My brother will be pleased! What is the plan?"

"If the attack comes from the flank or the back, all the ladies and children will ride ahead until the next post while the warriors face the spiders. The post is not that far away. Brethilon and Cadworon will be with you."

"I am counted as part of the ladies?" Phoebe asked sarcastically.

"You know I am counting on you to protect them. I do not know these two Greenwood guards. I do not trust them."

"Fine. And if the attack comes from the front? We move backwards to the last post we passed?"

"Yes. We hope it will not come to this. The last post is farther away than the next one is."

Phoebe nodded. Elladan moved to speak to Sidhwen and Hiriliel while Valerie was now fully awake and aware of what was going on.

They kept riding in silence until something bulky and dark suddenly jumped right in front of Adam's horse. The stallion bolted backwards, hitting another warrior's horse, who was thrown off to the ground. More spiders jumped from the trees around them.

Phoebe quickly analyzed that there were too many spiders in the front of the line. The only way out was to go back to the last post.

"To the back!" she screamed to be heard by the ones tasked to protect her family.

The two governesses turned their horses and rode in the direction they had come from, followed by Cadworon. Brethilon tried to push Valerie's mare but Valerie was looking at Adam, who was now on the ground, facing a huge spider with his sword while other warriors arrived around him.

Brethilon violently hit Valerie's horse, and the mare started running after the others. Valerie tried to catch a glimpse of her son again but he was now hidden from her view. Brethilon followed Valerie, screaming after Phoebe to follow him. Phoebe made eye contact with the king, who was dismounting, his knives in hand. "Go!" he yelled, angry that she still had not followed her mother.

She turned around and rode after her family, praying for the safety of her twin brother, for Elladan's and strangely, for the king's as well.

Their party rode for a few minutes, in silence mostly but for the cries of the scared elflings. From afar, they could hear the metal noises and screams of the warriors who were fighting the spiders.

Hiriliel's horse suddenly jumped to the side and she was thrown to the ground with Nimrodel. Two spiders were now separating the group in half.

Quick as lightning bolts, Cadworon and Brethilon took their knives and stood in front of the first spider while Hiriliel was facing the second one, Nimrodel behind her. The elleth was screaming at the top of her lungs while Nimrodel was calling for her naneth. Phoebe literally threw Mithrellas on her mother's horse and taking out her sword, she joined in the fight, targeting the spider that was threatening Hiriliel and Nimrodel.

"Stay back!" Valerie screamed at Sidhwen, who was still mounted on the other side of the spiders, Oropher crying in her arms. She took her bow, nocked an arrow and released it with a perfect aim despite the fact that she had Mithrellas in front of her round stomach. The arrow hit the spider squarely in one eye, but it was obviously not enough. Phoebe reached the furry beast and hit one of its legs with her sword before it hit Hiriliel. The spider turned in her direction and hit her with another leg, sending the warrior-elleth rolling on the side of the road. Valerie released another arrow before the spider had time to reach Phoebe, who was already standing. Once again, the arrow reached the target but didn't mortally wound the spider.

Cadworon and Brethilon were struggling with the first spider, much bigger than the one that Phoebe was facing. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Cadworon barely avoided the dart that was aiming at him while his brother was trying to jump on top of the spider.

Hiriliel was still frozen in terror, and Nimrodel decided to reach her mother instead of staying with the elleth who kept screaming. The spider turned to her little form, and started to run after her. Feeling chased, the child changed direction and got out of the path, running into the dark forest, on the southern part of of the wood.

"Nimrodel!" Valerie called after her daughter.

Phoebe had climbed a tree and jumped on the back of the spider, trying to hit it with her sword. But the movements of the angered spider were violent and she would not have been able to stand if she had not taken hold of one of her mother's arrows, still embedded in the spider. From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother give Mithrellas to Sidhwen and decidedly enter the forest behind her daughter, her bow in hand.

* * *

 _A/N: Valerie and Nimrodel just entered the forest on the Southern side of the road, the part where the darkness is growing… Will they come out of it on one piece?_

 _Fihunt: you finally got your official confirmation about Thranduil and Phoebe…_

 _Princessnera: there are a few more chapters before Glorfindel and Valerie will be reunited – but I think you will love the interactions between Phoebe and him when they are in Greenwood._

 _KrystylSky: some of the elflings will be new, some old ones are coming back – I cannot tell you in advance. Another one will be born soon…_

 _Maggie: you will get to know the human child in a few chapters, along with all the circumstances of his arrival in Valerie's life. I am certain you will like Thorin and Valerie and the clashes they will create!_

 _Paperlanterns86: the human child is arriving soon. I have a few more prophecy children in line, I hope you will like my choices!_

 _Glassary: I think she will give him a run for his money – a modern elleth with such a stiff man! As you saw in this chapter, Galadriel lied to Valerie because she didn't want to scare her – but Valerie knew Thranduil would not sugar-coat the truth!_

 _Faye50free: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reviewing._

 _Laurelin: you were right on both accounts. I think these 2 pairings will be quite interesting and will provide me with lots of funny scenes (especially Thranduil and Phoebe)._

 _SamandJake: we see all three dwarves in the story (although it will not be very soon). I usually try not to change the destiny of certain characters too much to make sure that the readers can still follow the major events and timelines of both stories. The Hobbit will happen from the perspective of the elves, which will be a different and interesting point of view without going into too much details about the adventures of the dwarves and Bilbo._


	12. Chapter 12 - Lost in the woods

_Chapter 11 ended with:_

 _Phoebe had climbed a tree and jumped on the back of the spider, trying to hit it with her sword. But the movements of the angered spider were violent and she would not have been able to stand if she had not taken hold of one of her mother's arrow, still embedded in the spider. From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother give Mithrellas to Sidhwen and decidedly enter the forest behind her daughter, her bow in hand._

 **Chapter 12 – Lost in the woods**

Elladan heard the screams of a female, coming west from where they were fighting their own battle.

"They are under attack!" he yelled to Adam, but the young ellon was still fighting his spider with the help of three warriors and didn't hear him. Elladan had heard that four warriors were sometimes necessary to take down a single spider. It seemed the rumors were true.

He was not the only one who had heard the screams. Prince Legolas quickly observed the scene and rode near him. "They did not reach the post. They only have two warriors," he said.

"Three," Elladan corrected him, thinking of Phoebe. "But it is far from enough, if there is more than one spider. I will take my guards and go help them. Imladris!" he screamed to get the attention of the guards.

Many answered his call and joined them.

"We are almost done here, I will join you," the prince decided, but he was silenced when he saw his own adar ride west, not even waiting for any Greenwood warrior to cover him. "I will remain here then," he sighed. "Go!" he cried to Elladan, who turned around and led his warriors towards the family who was certainly under attack.

Legolas quickly counted that three spiders remained alive on the forest road. With the remaining warriors, it would take a few minutes to kill them all before they could go help his father and Elladan.

When Thranduil, Elladan and many Imladris warriors arrived on the scene, they saw that Brethilon and Cadworon were still fighting one of the biggest spiders they had ever seen. Phoebe was standing on the second one, hitting it with her sword repeatedly, the spider in the final throws of death. The ladies and children were gathered on the side of the road.

Thranduil jumped down his stallion to go help Phoebe, but with one last hit from the elleth, the spider finally gave up and heavily fell to the ground. Phoebe jumped away, her sword ready in case the spider would jump back to life. It did not.

Many warriors were now helping the two Greenwood guards to take down the last spider while Elladan went to see the children and the ladies. The first thing he noticed was that Valerie and Nimrodel were not part of the group.

"Where are they?" he shouted at Sidwhen. He knew he would soon regret speaking to her like this, but for now, panic was his very good excuse.

"Nimrodel ran into the woods," Sidwhen replied with a trembling voice. "Lady Valerie followed her."

"When was that?" he asked, but the elleth shook her head, having lost count of time.

"How long ago was that?" he asked Hiriliel, but the elleth was obviously non responsive.

"About five minutes ago," Phoebe said while she was wiping her sword with a big leaf. "I will go after them."

"Not alone," the king said. "You do not know our forest, its paths and dangers. Give us a few minutes and many Greenwood warriors will join us in the searches."

"I pray the Valar it will not come to this, but should the searches take longer than expected... Should we not send the rest of the family away, hoping that they will reach the fortress before us?"

"We should," the king agreed, looking at the two governesses and the two frightened elflings who were calling for their naneth and their sister. "I can hear our company arriving. I will give this responsibility to my son."

Shortly after, Legolas, Adam and the Greenwood warriors arrived. The king quickly chose the warriors that would be part of the search party while the Imladris warriors would join Legolas and Adam as they kept going in the direction of the fortress.

"I am staying to search for my mother!" Adam declared angrily.

"Adam Glorfindelion, you will be going back to the fortress with your siblings without any other comment. We have no time for your childishness." Elladan had no patience for his temper tamtrums.

"Why is Phoebe staying?"

"You will do as I say without questioning my commands, or I will make sure that you will not be allowed at the borders for longer than you would have thought in your wildest dreams," Elladan told him with a commanding voice. "Your adar will hear about this, no doubt, his shame will have no limit."

Adam glared at Elladan but shut his mouth. Legolas picked up Mithrellas from the ground and Adam did the same with Oropher. The company turned around and bolted east on the forest road, only leaving behind the king, Elladan, Phoebe, Cadworon, Brethilon and fifteen Greenwood warriors.

"We will separate in two groups," the king decided.

"Lady Valerie knows how to behave in the woods. It is not the first time to I search for her in a forest."

"What?" Phoebe asked. "When was that?"

"Before your adar went to get you in your world, your mother tried to escape Imladris. If she feels danger, she will climb a tree. Do not make the mistake of thinking she will remain on the ground. She has her bow, she will try to protect herself and Nimrodel, if she found her."

"She would have been back by now if she had found Nimrodel," the king said.

"Maybe not," Phoebe replied. "My mother's sense of direction is... poor to say the least."

"That too," Elladan admitted. "It will complicate our searches. She might be heading completely in the wrong direction."

The two groups entered the forest, one going slightly east, the other slightly west. Every five minutes, they were whistling to advise the other group of their location.

OoOoO

Valerie had found Nimrodel fairly quickly despite the darkness. Her daughter had been hiding under a fallen tree trunk and had answered immediately after Valerie had softly called for her. They could have immediately turned around back to the road, but they had heard noises near them. Valerie knelt on the ground and Nimrodel climbed on her back, her slim arms around her naneth's neck. Valerie knew she needed to take her daughter as far as possible from the noises. She did not want to face spiders alone. She knew she would not make it. With one last thought for her children who had remained on the forest road, she had silently walked away to the south.

Silently might have been her intent, but with the charge she was carrying, and her own weight and imbalance due to her pregnancy, Valerie was less silent than she would have hoped. The forest was very quiet around her, except for her panting, the noises made by her steps, and the strange steps of something that was following her. It did not sound like a spider, but not like a two-legged beast either. Whatever it was, maybe it was better if they were in a tree when it met them.

She found a tree that had a branch low enough for Nimrodel and her to climb. With her stomach, she knew climbing would be a challenge, but she had no choice. She put her bow on the ground, and helped Nimrodel climb on the lowest branch. The child then grabbed her mother's bow.

"Climb higher," Valerie commanded. "I will join you right away, my love. Go!"

She could hear the thing coming after them getting closer. "Hurry!" Valerie begged her daughter.

Too late, something looking like an ugly lion was watching her from a few feet away. She knew the name of that beast, even if it was her first encounter with one of them. A warg. A wild beast that orcs were using as mounts. The feline, for that is what it was, was watching her with keen interest. Valerie wondered for a moment if the warg would simply watch her with curiosity, or if an attack was part of its plans. Nimrodel was a few branches higher, hopefully out of its reach. She slowly grabbed the lowest branch and the warg didn't react. Quickly, she turned her back on the beast in order to climb and immediately, she heard the warg springing to life behind her. She struggled pulling herself up with her stomach in the way, and higher in the tree, Nimrodel cried with fear.

"Nana!" she yelled, watching the scene from her higher viewpoint.

Valerie successfully pulled herself up on the first branch, but was not fast enough to climb the second one before she felt searing pain in her left calf. She screamed and continued climbing, knowing it was her only chance of survival. She sat on the second branch, seeing the warg was jumping against the tree with its paws up, claws out, roaring after its escaping prey. She kicked its paw with her right foot, but the warg barely registered the pain. Its teeth were as sharp as its claws, and it was clear that should either elleth fall to the ground, their life would end in the most horrific of manners. She didn't have time to get her bow from Nimrodel, who was still crying higher in the tree. Valerie took an arrow in the quiver attached on her back, and waiting for the right moment, she stuck it into one of the warg's paws. The beast roared and became even more enraged if that was even possible. It started jumping higher, its anger giving it additional strength. She had to climb higher, praying the Valar that wargs couldn't climb trees.

Valerie turned around and continued climbing with difficulty. She could feel hot liquid on her calf, accumulating in her leather boot. It was clear that the claws had gone through the leather as if it had been butter, and her leg had been cut. She was injured and was bleeding heavily.

"Give me my bow, baby," she asked Nimrodel. Her daughter's face was full of tears, but she had a courageous look in her eyes that Valerie had seen a few times. Nimrodel had courage that Mithrellas did not have. She silently thanked the Valar that her other daughter was safe with the warriors. Nimrodel climbed down a branch and gave her the bow. Valerie nocked an arrow quickly and killed the warg with an arrow in the neck. The warg heavily fell and didn't move.

"Nana, I am scared! I want Ada! Ada will save us!"

Valerie wanted Glorfindel to save them too. But she knew her mate was not going to help her, not that day. Would she ever see him again? Maybe it would have been best if she had stayed in Lothlorien! And now, she was lost in the Greenwood forest, alone with Nimrodel, while her other children were being attacked by spiders. If she ever got out of trouble, she would never leave Imladris again!

The pain in her leg was horrible. It came in waves, each one leaving the pain at a higher level. She tried to remove her boot to look at her calf. Removing it completely was out of the question, the pain was too great. She could see the higher part of her calf, where she had four lacerations, and even without having much experience in injuries caused by wild beasts, she knew that they were deep. It started hurting even more now that she had seen her injury.

She started to cry in despair. What was she going to do? The bleeding would not stop by itself, she knew she needed to put pressure on the wound. Drop after drop, the blood was slowly falling to the ground. She wondered if wargs and spiders were like sharks and could smell blood from miles away. Whether they could or not, anything could have heard her painful screams in the area. They needed to move, but she needed to bandage her calf first.

"Take my bow," she asked Nimrodel.

"What are you going to do?"

"Take my bow!"

The child took the bow and watched as her mother was tearing the bottom of her riding dress. Valerie made a bandage around the upper part of her calf and cried as she pulled the fabric tightly around it. She pulled the boot back up, feeling how soaked with blood the leather was. Her blood. She repressed the cries of panic that were gathering in her throat. She had never been in such a dire situation, in a dangerous forest with her child, gravely injured, and she being the only adult in charge to take care of the situation.

"Are you in pain, Nana?" Nimrodel asked, watching her mother's tearful face.

"Yes, sweetie, my leg is hurting very much," Valerie admitted. Lying would be stupid, her pain was obvious, even for a child.

"Is the baby in pain too?"

Valerie could feel that her baby had received a few shots of adrenaline. The movements in her stomach were frequent and violent. She prayed the Valar that her baby would not come early because of these last events.

But first, they needed to move. Valerie had no idea where the north and east were. She knew she should stay where she was, that warriors would eventually find them, but not with the possibility of having other wargs come after them. She wouldn't last long on foot. They needed to find a place to hide until Thranduil's guards came.

"Let us go that way," Valerie decided. She climbed down on her right leg, and when she reached the ground, tested putting weight on her left leg. Just putting it on the ground was painful, she did not even try to put weight on it. Nimrodel climbed down quickly and took her hand.

"We need to find a place to hide. Nana will not be able to walk very far, sweetie."

OoOoO

Both groups of warriors had heard the cries of an elleth south-west of their location. They had joined as one group and carefully searched the area, the dark making their task more difficult. Dawn had come and gone, and the sun was now high in the sky. Valerie and Nimrodel had disappeared for many hours now. They did not even know if they were together or if Valerie and Nimrodel were in separate areas of the forest.

The king was not despairing yet, but he was beginning to feel fear, fear like he had not felt in centuries. Lady Valerie, the elleth of the prophecy, mate of Lord Glorfindel of the Golden Flower, and their reborn daughter Nimrodel had gotten lost in his forest, while they were under his care. True, he could not be held responsible for the spiders that had attacked them. But if he had simply visited them in Lothlorien instead of bringing them to his realm, they would be safe and sound in Lothlorien right now.

How would he face the other rulers of Middle Earth if Valerie and Nimrodel died in Greenwood?

"My Lord!" Cadworon called, a little away from him. He walked to his warrior, who showed him the half-eaten carcass of a warg. There were two arrows stuck in the dead beast, one in its neck, and one in its paw. The fletching of the arrows was from Imladris.

"She was here," he said, more or less relieved. "Are there any other traces of their presence?"

Cadworon pointed some dark spots on the ground, where dark liquid had been absorbed by the earth. The color was different than the blood left by the warg's body. They lifted their eyes and saw blood on the tree trunk.

"We need to follow the traces of blood. She walked away on foot."

"There are traces of little feet also, my Lord. I believe mother and daughter were together."

"You are right. I will follow the blood spots, go get the other warriors."

Thranduil followed the traces of blood, but they stopped suddenly, and he could not find any around the final spot. _Maybe she bandaged her injury here, and now there are no traces anymore for us to follow._

He joined the warriors who were gathered nearby and told them the blood spots had stopped, and that they now had to search the area without any more clues to help them.

OoOoO

Nimrodel was very hungry. She had never known hunger in her eleven years of life. Every time she was hungry, she would go to the kitchens with her sister, where the servants would give her anything she wanted, even sweets before breakfast. Starvation was a new experience, one she did not care to experiment again. She wondered if her naneth was hungry too. She had stopped responding to Nimrodel a few hours before. Valerie was cold, her skin very white, and she was not coherent. She was sometimes speaking in that language that only Phoebe, Adam and her aunt Allison spoke.

Nimrodel knew that her mother's leg had stopped bleeding. But it was very painful. Valerie had screamed in her strange sleep when Nimrodel had just gently touched it. She closed the cloak around her mother again, even if she knew nothing could make her mother warmer but a fire. But she had nothing to make a fire, and even if she had, she had never started one. Servants were in charge of starting the fires in Imladris.

Her naneth had asked her not to leave her side, to remain in the huge hole they had found. The hole was in the ground, the former house of some big animal, but it was empty now. Her naneth had carefully hidden the entrance with branches, and it seemed they were well hidden, because someone had come close by and had not seen them. She was scared of that ellon, and so, she had remained hidden with her unconscious mother, obeying her command to remain silent until a friend came.

But now, she was hungry, and she thought her naneth and her baby must be hungry too. She had to disobey and go look for food. She gave a kiss to her mother, and coming out of her hiding place, she put the branches back in front of the entrance.

OoOoO

They had come back near the point where the last blood stains on the ground had been found. They had searched for hours in the miles surrounding that area, and had not found any clues or traces of Valerie and Nimrodel. They could not have vanished like this, and they decided to come back to their starting point.

"I feel like I am being observed," Brethilon said to his brother Cadworon. Both ellyn looked around them, searching the woods with weary eyes.

"I feel it too," the king said, "but it is not an evil presence."

"No," Cadworon confirmed.

Phoebe arrived near them with Elladan. "Have you found anything yet?"

"No, my warriors were telling me that they feel observed. But we cannot find the source. If it were your naneth, she would show herself."

"My mother yes, but my sister?" Phoebe doubted. She looked around carefully.

"Nimrodel?" she softly called. "Nimrodel, is that you?"

She slowly walked around, looking between the trees surrounding them.

"Nimrodel, stop hiding. Come see me, come, _Buttercup_ ," she called her little sister by the nickname she was sometimes given in Imladris. "I will protect you."

She kept repeating her request softly, walking around, while the warriors were starting to lose patience, all but Elladan.

"She knows how to speak to elflings," he told the king. "We are lucky we have her with us."

"Nimrodel, I know you are scared. I am scared too. I am afraid that Mommy is hurt, because you would not be here alone if she was fine. The warriors here, I know they scare you. But they will bring us back to safety. Okay? Are you hungry?" she suddenly asked. "I have some lembas left."

They all saw a movement between trees and immediately, all the warriors had their bows or knives ready for an attack.

"Weapons down, you morons!" Phoebe yelled. She turned back in the direction where they had seen a movement.

Thranduil prayed that a spider would not jump to Phoebe's face. He walked behind her, while she kept speaking softly, coaxing something out of the woods.

"Phoebe, I am hungry," a little female voice finally answered her calls.

Phoebe closed her eyes in relief for a brief moment. She started walking again in the direction of the voice, and soon found Nimrodel hiding under a plant with giant leaves. She picked her up from the ground and held her against her chest.

"Oh baby, baby, I am so glad that we have found you!" she said, pressing the little body against her. "Why were you hiding?"

"Nana said to hide until a friend came."

"And Nana was right. But we are between friends here, now, okay?"

"I saw the scary king before, but he is not a friend," Nimrodel said, watching Thranduil with wary eyes. Only centuries of training allowed the Greenwood warriors not to react to that last statement. The king looked affronted, but Phoebe gave him a small smile. What did he expect, while he carried that constant frown and cold demeanor? No children could ever think him friendly. No adults could either, in her humble opinion.

Elladan came nearby them and gave Nimrodel a piece of lembas. "Where is your nana, Nimrodel?"

"She is hiding."

"Why is she not coming to join us?"

"She sleeps, but she won't wake up. She is cold," she said to Phoebe this time. "Cold like you get when it is winter outside and that you need to wear fur not to freeze."

"Nimrodel, is your naneth hurt?" the king asked. There was blood on Nimrodel's cloak, and obviously, it was not Nimrodel's.

The child looked at him, seeming to evaluate if he was a threat to her naneth. He tried to soften his expression as much as he could. "The warg," she told him after a moment, "it hit her with its claws. She was bleeding a lot."

"Where is she?" he asked her forcefully, and immediately, the child recoiled and hid her face against her sister's neck.

Phoebe glared at him. He could not remember the last time someone had had the nerves to glare at him like this, except for his son.

"Will you show me where Nana is?" she asked softly to her sister. "Come, Buttercup, show me where you have hidden Nana. I am sure you hid her carefully before you left, right?"

Nimrodel pointed in a direction, and they all followed her guidance until they arrived in front of a pile of branches.

"Is Nana behind these branches?"

"Yes, I have to remove them."

"No, Elladan will do it for you," Phoebe said, keeping her sister in her arms.

Elladan, with the help of Brethilon, removed all the branches and uncovered the entrance of a big hole in the ground.

"Are you sure your naneth is in there?" Elladan asked. He prepared his sword when the child confirmed that her mother was in that big burrow, and slid inside, followed by the king of Greenwood himself.

The hole was big, about seven feet wide, but they had to remain on their hands and knees as the ceiling was low. They were both relieved and worried by the sight that awaited them once their eyes got used to the darkness. Valerie was lying on the ground, her cloak wrapped around her, but it was clear that she was unconscious.

"Let us see her injury," Thranduil said. Elladan and him lifted her cloak up to her knees, and immediately saw that her left leg was swollen in the leather boot.

The king took a small knife and cut the boot. The calf it had been hiding was not a pretty sight. Once they had removed the bandage Valerie had done with some fabric, the flesh appeared, angry red and very swollen, with crusts of blood stuck in the wound.

"Infection has started," Elladan said. "We need to give her care before we leave. She cannot lose her leg."

"You are right. My warriors always carry medicine with them. I will get you something to make a poultice to fight the infection. But we need to leave as soon as you are done."

"Yes, my Lord." Elladan did not want to spent another night in the forest. They were one day away from the fortress, and he wanted to be out of the woods before the moon was high in the sky.

Valerie was very cold, and although it was very inappropriate to do so, he opened her cloak and took her in his arms, trying to give her some of his warmth. He kept her hands in his, and her face against his neck.

When the king came back with the plants and water, he did not make any comments. He knew what Elladan was trying to do, and quite frankly, better Elrond's son than him. Glorfindel would not have appreciated if he had such a close encounter with his mate. The lord of the Golden Flower would more easily forgive his lieutenant, who was a friend and a healer too.

Thranduil cleaned the wound with his waterskin, and then prepared a thick poultice before applying it on Valerie's calf. Once he was satisfied with his work, he made a clean bandage.

"I think we are ready to go. Is she any warmer?"

"A little bit, but not enough."

"We cannot linger here. We will make a fire as soon as we are out of the forest road. Phoebe wants to ride with her mother, but I think she should ride with her sister. Nimrodel has not left her arms yet," the king informed Elladan.

"You are right. I will ride with Valerie. Help me bring her outside."

They gently pulled Valerie out of the burrow, and Elladan lifted her in his arms. He would carry her until they were back on the road where their horses were waiting for them.

"Your mother will be fine," Thranduil told Phoebe.

"I know she will. She is much stronger than she looks."

OoOoO

When Legolas had arrived at the fortress with their guests, he told the servants that his father would soon arrive with the rest of the party. He had thought that they would arrive within the hour. But the hour had passed, and they had received no news of his father.

More than twelve hours later, Legolas had to admit to himself that his adar had not found Valerie and her daughter quickly. It was clear that they had gotten lost in the forest and that the searches had been more difficult than they all had anticipated.

Adam was angry and was requesting to be allowed to go after his mother, and Legolas was seriously considering to send him to the dungeons to stop hearing his constant demands. The other Imladris warriors were nervous and he could tell some of them were debating going back to the forest road. In the absence of Elladan, Adam was the only lord of Imladris, and the soldiers were looking up to him for direction. It seemed all of them were terrified of having to admit to their captain that his mate and child had not been properly protected.

"Captain, do you think we should send more warriors to help with the search?" Hadron was one of Legolas' lieutenants and one who was used to guarding the forest road. "The first few hours are crucial. If twelve hours have passed, then the search area needs to be increased significantly. They will need more warriors."

"Start getting our guards ready. We will take as many as we can without decreasing the safety of our borders."

"Yes, Captain."

"And please, send Bronadon and Ninaelil. I need to give them instructions."

The counselor and his wife soon arrived in his office as he was putting his armor back on.

"Bronadon, I will go back to the forest road to help search for the Lady of the Golden Flower and her daughter. Her son will remain here. He... is angry. He would be a liability."

"He did strike me as an aggressive young ellon," Bronadon remarked. "He will not be taking your leaving without him very well, I am afraid."

"Then I authorize you to do what you have to do to keep him here. You will be in charge in my absence."

"Yes, my Lord," Bronadon bowed. "There are some rumors... Some say Lord Glorfindel's daughter took down a spider all by herself."

"It appears that she did," Legolas confirmed.

"No warrior before her ever achieved that feat."

"I know, Bronadon. It would appear that Lord Glorfindel's older children have been very well trained by him. He must be very proud."

"I cannot wait to meet her."

"It will only happen once Lady Valerie is found, I am afraid. Ninaelil, please make sure that the children are taken care of in the absence of their naneth."

"Lord Oropher and Lady Mithrellas are already in the care of servants. Their governesses are not in a state of mind to care for them properly."

"They are not used to being cared for by servants. I want you to take care of them personally."

"I will, my Lord." Ninaelil had been the royal housekeeper for centuries, she was used to comply with the strangest of requests from the royal family. She understood why she needed to care for little Oropher, he was, after all, the reborn father of the king. But little Mithrellas? She was a reborn elf, yes, but she was nothing to the Silvan and Sindar elves of Greenwood. She was an elleth from Lothlorien, one that had married a mortal and started the great line of the princes of Dol Amroth before disappearing. Not the most commendable of actions in the eyes of the Greenwood elves.

"Ninaelil?" Legolas called back.

He must have read her thoughts on her face. She wished she could hide her thoughts as well as her mate Bronadon did.

"Lady Mithrellas is... very dear to me. I want her to receive the same attention and care than my grandfather."

"Yes, my Lord." Ninaelil curtsied quickly and left Legolas' office with her husband.

"What is this about?" she asked her mate.

"I have no idea. You certainly have the easiest part of the bargain. You must deal with little elflings, I must deal with an enraged elfling who thinks he is an adult and a great warrior."

"I will see you later. I will bring the elflings to our apartment and spend time with them."

A quarter of an hour later, Legolas, Hadron and all available warriors were gathered near the gate, ready to leave for the forest road. Legolas was about to give his final orders when a scout arrived, his horse galloping at full speed in their direction.

"My Lord Legolas!" the scout shouted from a distance. "They have found them!"

Legolas sighed in relief before he rode in the direction of the scout with Hadron.

"What are the news?"

"Lady Valerie was injured by a warg, her wound is infected and she is delirious, she needs to be seen by the healers as soon as she arrives."

"And Lady Nimrodel?"

"Unscathed, as far as I can tell."

"Good. Hadron, make sure the healers are ready for their arrival. And go tell Lord Adam that his naneth is on her way. Do not tell him about her injury yet..."

* * *

 _A/N: it was certainly not how Valerie expected to arrive in Greenwood, but at least she will now be safe in the fortress…_

 _Princessnerra: the dark has sent more than just spiders to eliminate Valerie, but she miraculously survived…_

 _glassary: I think Thranduil is relieved that Valerie and Nimrodel were found. He thinks he has a few months to find a decent explanation for Glorfindel… I will not give him so much time!_

 _Paperlanterns86: once they are safely in the fortress, things will quiet down a little and you will see more interactions…_

 _faye50free: your growl is so predictive of a ward attack!_

 _fihunt: Cad and Bret will have smaller roles this time, but I wanted people to see that they are still there, in Greenwood, part of the guard like in the Legolas version!_

 _Maggie: don't be sad already! This story will have more than 30 chapters – we are not even halfway yet!_

 _Aralinn: a few more years have to pass before Mithrandir is held prisoner in Dol Guldur – and that the elven leaders send Sauron as an eye on top of the Barad-Dûr. I will have to make a few time jumps until then…_

 _Angel897: she was at the end of her patience! I hope you enjoyed the recent chapters after they finally were together!_


	13. Chapter 13 - Life in Greenwood

_Chapter 12 ended with:_

" _Lady Valerie was injured by a warg, her wound is infected and she is delirious, she needs to be seen by the healers as soon as she arrives."_

" _And Lady Nimrodel?"_

" _Unscathed, as far as I can tell."_

" _Good. Hadron, make sure the healers are ready for their arrival. And go tell Lord Adam that his naneth is on her way. Do not tell him about her injury yet..."_

 **Chapter 13 – Life in Greenwood**

"The feast is about to start, we need to go, Mother," Adam told Valerie, who had just come out of the healing rooms the day before. She had spent a week there, recovering from the infection in her leg. Her wound had closed quickly, although the scarring would remain for some time. She could not walk on her leg just yet, and needed help to move around in her room. And what a room it was!

Since Oropher was the former king of Greenwood, instead of being lodged in the guests quarters, the entire family had been installed in the aisle usually reserved for the royal family. Adam had is own room close to the apartment that belonged to Legolas, while Valerie was in Oropher's former quarters with her other children. Phoebe had also been offered a separate room but had decided to stay with her mother. The governesses were staying in the guests quarters with Elladan.

"She is not ready yet, go ahead if you cannot wait for a few minutes," Phoebe told him with barely contained impatience. Since her arrival in the fortress, the warriors had not stopped talking about her achievement, and although Adam loved his twin sister very much, he was also jealous of the attention she was getting. The fact that she cared not for all this attention was not making the situation any easier for him to accept. Phoebe had been extremely disappointed and their relationship had been strained since then.

Valerie knew her son had a hard time overcoming his disgruntlement. Adam was still a teenager, even if he was an accomplished warrior. He was seeking glory, as if he could not stand being the son of Glorfindel. He seemed to want to be known as a great warrior immediately, while his adar had been a warrior for ages to gain his current renown. Valerie was not very proud of his reaction, and hoped that Phoebe and him would talk things through. At the moment, she had been too busy with her own recovery and with her younger children to have time to speak to her son.

"Fine, you can join me when you are ready. I am tired of waiting."

"Your brother will get over it," Valerie told Phoebe once Adam had left.

"I could not care less," her daughter lightly replied.

"Sweetie, you can lie to him, but do not lie to yourself. You know you are saddened by the situation and his reaction."

"I wish I had not killed that spider!"

"And then what? You hope the spider had killed you? Or one of your siblings?"

"No, but if only I had not killed it alone!"

Valerie looked at her. "You should not be ashamed of what you did! Never be ashamed! I know it is not normal for elves to see an elleth being a warrior, the Valar know how I am being looked at because I can use a bow, so I can only imagine how it is for you! But Phoebe, do not be ashamed of yourself because it is hurting someone else's sensibilities! I am proud of you, so proud of you! I cannot wait to tell your adar!"

"You think Ada will be proud of me?"

"Of course he will be! We are always proud of you! Come here," Valerie asked, opening her arms.

Phoebe hugged her mother with all her strength. "Mommy, I love you. I do not know what I would have done if we had not found you."

"You found me, stop thinking about it. I am fine, if not for my leg, and the baby is still okay despite everything. Now, we will have a great evening. Ninaelil told me there would be music. I am expecting you to dance for the both of us."

There was a knock on the door. "That is my horse," Valerie laughed.

"He is on time," Phoebe said, walking to the door to let Elladan in.

"Are you ready?" Elrond's son asked. He whistled when he saw Phoebe. "You look good tonight!"

Phoebe turned on herself to show him her dress. "Arwen gave it to me before we left. It looks good on me, doesn't it?"

Elladan looked at Valerie to get her opinion. Phoebe's mother just shrugged, telling him that she considered her daughter a woman now. The dark blue dress was making Phoebe look like she no longer was a child. The neckline was low enough to show the upper part of her young breasts, and the tight waist and the opening of the skirt on a silvery underskirt was very flattering.

"You are very beautiful," he told her seriously. "And you Valerie, you are -"

"Very big and swollen?" Valerie finished his sentence. "You are wondering how you will carry me to the Great Hall? You perhaps regret your promise?"

"I carried you for almost an hour last week, when we were in the woods. I know I can accomplish that most difficult task."

Valerie threw a cushion in his direction, which he avoided skillfully. "You always look stunning, even when you are pregnant."

"Phoebe, go get your siblings in their rooms," Valerie asked. Phoebe left Elladan and Valerie alone.

"Have you noticed that the king -" the ellon started.

"Do you think me blind?"

"This dress will not help the situation."

"She is a lord's daughter, and still not of age. She can wear what she wants, he better remain respectful."

"I do not think he just wants to have an affair, Valerie."

They stopped talking when Phoebe came back with the elflings. "Mother, are you ready to go?"

"I am," Valerie confirmed.

"And I am ready to show everyone how strong I am," Elladan said, boasting his chest.

"Yes, I know you are strong!" Oropher cried, proud of his friend.

They walked in the hallway of the royal aisle and entered the open space that was the inside of the mountain. The ceiling was very high, with skylights everywhere, and gems flashing under the light of the torches. There were bridges going in every direction, bridges without railing that seeming a hazard for young elflings. The Medieval atmosphere here was stronger than in Imladris. It was like living in a stone castle without wood or paint, just cold, dark stone. It was dark, dark and beautiful and a little unsettling. Like the king of the realm.

"Do you know where the Hall is?" Valerie asked Elladan once they had crossed the main bridge and had to choose between three hallways.

"I forgot to ask," he said guiltily.

"Bravo!" Phoebe snorted. "Now we have to wait for a servant to pass by!"

Oropher walked beside them and distractedly took Phoebe's hand. His eyes were looking everywhere with curiosity, but he did not hesitate and took the hallway to his left. Phoebe shrugged and asked her sisters to follow them.

Valerie and Elladan looked at each other with puzzlement. "Do you think he remembers?" she whispered in his ear.

"Not consciously, it is impossible!"

Oropher seemed to have memories, even on a subconscious level, because a few moment later, they were introduced in the Great Hall. Elladan put Valerie down before they entered, and supported her while she walked to the chair that had been reserved for her on the king's right.

King Thranduil officially welcomed her and her family to Greenwood, his son standing to his left. Valerie heard the whispers of the people in the Hall. Most of the eyes were on Oropher, who did not seem to realize the amount of attention focused on himself. The elfling demanded that the seating arrangements be changed so he could be sitting beside his sister Phoebe, and the king asked a servant to rearrange the plates to accommodate him.

"You should not give in to his every demand," Valerie told the king.

"He is a charming child after all," he replied, his eyes still on his young adar.

They all sat and the meal started. Legolas, Adam and Elladan were talking about the growing threats in the woods. The king was listening to the conversation and was commenting once in a while.

Valerie was speaking with her children, trying to keep them from misbehaving during this long dinner. Phoebe was actively participating in the elflings' conversation.

"I heard there will be dancing later," Phoebe told Oropher.

He smiled to his big sister. "Will you only dance with me?" he asked.

"Surely, you will dance with Nimrodel and Mithrellas too, no?" Valerie asked.

"Maybe once or twice. If they want to dance more, they can ask Elladan or Adam!"

Valerie rolled her eyes while the king snorted. Obviously, his attention was now on their conversation.

"My son really loves his sister. He still does not understand that he cannot marry someone in the family. He is quite determined to marry Phoebe once he comes of age."

"I wanted to marry my naneth until I turned 10," Thranduil informed her. "I thought she was the most beautiful elleth. And she was so nice to me too. I was jealous of my father."

"In my world, we call this the Oedipus complex. It was a story from Greek mythology. It was predicted that Oedipus would kill his father the king and marry his mother. His parents abandoned him and he was found and raised in another kingdom. He came back once he was a man and unknowingly killed his true father during a quarrel. He saved the kingdom from a threat and was offered the throne. He became king and he married the former king's widow, his own mother, and had children with her. When it was discovered that they were mother and son, the queen took her life."

"This is a sickening and distasteful story."

"I never claimed it wasn't. But it is only a story, I do not believe it truly happened. But this is how we call the fact that young children are 'in love' with the parent of opposite gender for a few years."

"Oropher is not 'in love' with you then?"

"He was for a time, but Glorfindel informed him that I was not available early on," she smiled. She remembered that conversation as if it had happened just the day before. Oropher's disappointment had been crushing, but Glorfindel's need to claim his mate against one so small had been hilarious. "Oropher turned his interest to Phoebe that day."

"They do not share the same blood," he remarked.

"No, they do not. But I understand your mother is waiting for him in Valinor."

"She is. I sometimes wonder if someone sailed since his birth and told her he was reborn here."

Valerie had no idea. No one from Imladris had sailed since her arrival in Middle Earth. "I wonder when he will start remembering her. He remembered the way from our apartment to the Great Hall."

"Did he now?" the king mused pensively. "I am glad to hear it."

An hour later, the music started, and Oropher lead his sister to the dance floor. It was a lively tune, but they did not know how to dance this particular dance. They looked at the other dancers for a while, and tried to imitate them, but ultimately, they just went with the flow, as was their habit. Soon, most dancers were watching the teenager and the young reborn king, whose movements were surprisingly coordinated and very modern. It was a sight to behold, one that was both cheering and strange.

"Where did they learn to dance like this?" the king asked, frowning.

"It is their own style. They enjoy it," Valerie defended them.

"Your daughter deserves to shine on a dance floor, not be ridiculed by an elfling."

"That elfling is your father," she reminded him with a nasty grin. How dare he judged her children!

"That is why I will let this farce continue for a little while longer."

"And what will you do to stop this _farce_?"

"I will go against my principles and invite her myself," he said with an expressionless face.

"Against your principles?"

"I have not danced since I lost my first wife. I would not want to give hopes to ellith."

"Why do you mention that your wife was your first wife? Is there a second one I have not heard of?"

He looked at her defying eyes. The emerald green orbs were glaring at him, shooting daggers in his direction. Glorfindel's mate was a worthy opponent. She replied to his every strike without fear.

He stood without replying. "Ninaelil?" he called the elleth sitting nearby.

"Yes, my Lord?" she asked, wondering why the king was calling her while he looked angry. Had she done anything to displease him?

"You will dance with Lord Oropher. Please ensure that he learns the steps of this dance. It is imperative that he learns all the traditional silvan dances."

"Yes, my Lord." The elleth followed the king who walked to the dance floor. Phoebe saw him before Oropher did. She stopped dancing, and even the minstrels stopped their tune, stunned to see the king on the dance floor.

"Lord Oropher, Ninaelil is tasked with showing you the steps of this dance," he told the elfling who was frowning at him. It was amazing how their frowns were quite similar when they were displeased. And it was clear for all to see that they had the same stubbornness.

Oropher knew very well the housekeeper who had spent time with him when his mother was sick. He liked her, but nowhere close to how much he liked his sister.

"I am dancing with Phoebe," he stubbornly replied to the king. "I do not want to dance with Nina!"

Phoebe knew that displeasing the king while they were his guests was not a great idea. Already, she could see the king's jaw become tense.

"Show Lady Ninaelil how much of a good dancer you are, will you?" she cajoled him.

"But you need to learn the dance figures too!" he insisted. "Who will show Phoebe the figures?" he asked the king.

"I will," the king replied haughtily to the elfling. Obviously, he did not like to see his decisions being questioned.

"I can go back with my mother," Phoebe offered. She did not want to impose her presence to the king. He obviously wanted Oropher to learn the dance figures, so she would simply leave the dance floor so her brother could get a dance lesson with the housekeeper.

"Do not be ridiculous, you need to learn the movements too," the king, said, taking her hands in his and pulling her closer to him, but still at an appropriate distance. After a gesture on his part, the minstrels started playing again.

Thranduil was definitely a good dancer. Phoebe would have expected that such a cold, and quite honestly, unpleasant ellon would be a terrible dancer. The steps were a little complicated, but the king made no comment each time she made a mistake. After a while, she gained confidence and started enjoying herself. She smiled to the king, and he gave a half-smile in return.

He was not so bad after all. Now, if only she could get the sparkle to appear in his eyes again... He had once or twice looked at her like a starved man, a look she had frequently seen in the eyes of the Dunedain rangers... Her mother had mentioned she had noticed glances exchanged between the king and her, and had hinted that the king was a little more than she could chew on at the moment. Her mother was probably right. She was still considered a child in everyone's eyes. But it didn't mean she could not test the waters...

"I do not enjoy dancing so much usually," she told him to make conversation.

"I do not imagine elflings are the best dance partners."

"Do you dance frequently?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

Obviously, he was not going to share them with her. The topic of dancing being exhausted, Phoebe tried to find another subject of discussion.

"I always appreciated ellith who were comfortable with silence," the king mentioned. "I prefer few, meaningful words than empty babbling."

 _Good to know_ , she thought, losing her smile. She had gotten the message loud and clear. She unclasped their hands and backed away from him.

"And I always preferred ellyn who had enough manners not to insult their guests. But I guess I am used to the Noldorin culture, your Sindarin background is obviously different. But rest assured that your adar will receive the best Noldorin education from my father. He might teach you lessons once he comes of age."

She had whispered her tirade to ensure no one would hear her insults but the king himself. She knew her mother would be deeply ashamed of hearing her say such things to the king of Greenwood. Her adar would probably have had a heart attack if he had been within earshot. She missed him so! He was so different than these Greenwood elves! Yes, her father was also very cold with strangers, but she knew his heart and all the love it contained for his family. The king was a different matter. He seemed to like making people uncomfortable. It was a pettiness that her adar did not have.

She turned her back on the king but he caught her arm before she escaped.

"How dare you?" he asked, glaring daggers at her.

"No, how dare you!" she spat. She pulled her hand and walked back to her seat.

"What was that?" Valerie asked her daughter before the king came back to his own seat.

"The king was being an ass."

"Please tell me you did not insult him."

"I might have."

"Great! I love this. Between Adam and you, we should get kicked out of Greenwood within the week."

"Do not forget to add yourself to the list of troublemakers. You seemed to enjoy pissing him off earlier this evening."

"Well, I always aim to please..."

"So do I, Mother, so do I!"

"You should not try to do as I do."

OoOoO

Bronadon was spending almost an hour every day with the king to discuss various matters, but since the arrival of the Imladris family, he was always spending a few more minutes telling the king information about the family. The king had not specifically asked him to spy on the family, but he knew he was expected to report anything that could be of interest.

"The _Naurothar_ have somehow reconciled, Lord Adam was speaking to his sister earlier this morning. They trained together for more than hour. Lieutenant Hadron saw them sword fight together, he says they seem to share a connection that helps them anticipate the other's next move. He has never seen something like this."

"If this is such a sight to behold, I will go watch them tomorrow morning. Is that all?"

"I witnessed a strange training exercise two days ago. Imladris warriors were attached head down by their ankles, using some sort of leather belt. They had to touch their feet with their hands as fast as possible, as many times as possible. I had never seen our warriors do this before. They were all very curious. Challenges were issued, wagers accepted, and Cadworon competed against Lord Adam."

The king stared, not showing interest but not asking Bronadon to leave either. Bronadon decided to continue his description of the events.

"Lord Adam won. Your son tried to save the honor of Greenwood. He competed against Lady Phoebe. She won."

"My son neglected to mention this," the king said, taking a document on his desk and starting to read it while still listening to his counselor. "How much did you lose?"

"Much less than he did, my Lord. Your son had to give Lady Phoebe his favorite dagger, the one with the emeralds."

The king frowned but did not comment, his eyes still staring at the document in front of him.

"The children spent the morning with their governesses. Lord Oropher is very knowledgeable in elven history already. Hiriliel is especially making sure that he learns about the history of your line, and of Greenwood."

No reaction from the king.

"There are whispers about your son. About his fascination with Lady Mithrellas."

Still no reaction. Bronadon was used to the king's indifferent behavior. He had one last piece of information to give him, and then he would go have dinner with his mate.

"The servants have reported to my wife that Lady Phoebe... is a mature elleth despite her young age."

"How so?" This time, the king was sealing a letter he had just signed.

"She has her... monthly visitor, even if she only not even 17 yet." Bronadon had tried to find a polite way to discuss the female nature. It was not something he had ever discussed with the king, and he hoped it was the last time. His intuition told him the king might want to know this – the fact that Lady Valerie's older children had grown so fast was a source of astonishment for most elves meeting them.

"That will be all, Bronadon," the king dismissed him. "Please tell my son that I wish to see him."

Bronadon was unsure if the king had been outraged by his last comment, or if he was indifferent. Obviously, his intuition had been wrong – the king could not care less. The counselor still had difficulty interpreting the king's reactions, or lack thereof, most of the time, even if he had been working for the king for centuries. Bronadon had become a counselor once his father had sailed. His adar had been much closer to the king, and much more competent, as Thranduil reminded him frequently. Bronadon knew his shortcomings were numerous when compared to his very experienced father, who had also been the most important adviser of King Oropher before working with Thranduil. But being dismissed summarily still hurt his pride.

"Good night, your Majesty."

Bronadon left the king's study and closed the door softly behind him. Once alone, the king dropped the document he had been holding but not truly reading. His adviser still not could not tell when he was troubled, and it was to remain that way. The only person with whom he was more open was his son, and even Legolas was not privy to all his thoughts. It seemed to be reciprocal, since Legolas had not shared with his father what their people were now whispering about.

Bronadon was not as knowledgeable as his father, but what he lacked in diplomacy and finesse, he compensated with his in-depth insight of all rumors and scandals. Many times, Bronadon had inadvertently given him information that he had used to his advantage later on, whether it was to protect his people, or more frequently, manipulate the people and events in the direction he wished them to take. He had no idea how Bronadon had learned that Lady Valerie was in Lothlorien, unable to go back home because of the orc activity the mountain pass. But with this information, he had been able to invite the family in his realm, where they would remain for many months.

He mused for a while on the fact that Lady Phoebe was physically an adult. Mentally, she still was very much a child, but nevertheless more mature than her twin brother, thank the Valar for that! The king had many faults, but he was never lying to himself. Phoebe had caught his interest since she was a young child. More than his interest. He wondered if the pull Legolas had reported feeling for Lady Mithrellas was similar to what he felt towards Lady Phoebe. From the moment he had seen her, he had known that she was destined for him. He had been dismayed at the time, that after living millennia alone, with a brief arranged marriage that had been a disaster, the Valar had finally sent him his fëa-mate in the person of a half-elven child. She had given him a rock, called him a friend, and made a lasting impression on him.

More than a decade had passed, and although physically she was incredibly attractive, he was still disappointed by the Valar's choice. Phoebe was a warrior, something immensely inappropriate for an elleth. What was Glorfindel thinking when he had allowed this to happen? Furthermore, she, like her naneth, had a volatile character and expected everyone to bend to her will. She truly was no queen material.

There was no doubt in his mind that he would make her his mate one day. But she would need to greatly change before he did so. First, she would need to give back her sword and bow, and never use them again unless she was traveling. Then, her education would need to be perfected. The time she had spent training should truly have been spent learning elven history, and developing her diplomatic skills and knowledge of etiquette rules. Her skills to manage a household were probably lacking too.

He hoped she would not take too long to learn these skills. It might take a decade or two, and he would wait despite the fact that he was in a hurry for the physical side of their relationship to begin. He would wait until their marriage to take her in bodily union, it was appropriate with the daughter of such a renowned lord.

The object of his thoughts was slightly opening the door of her apartment to ensure the hallway was empty. Seeing that no one was in view, she closed the door and turned to her siblings.

"I do not want to hear any noises," she warned them.

"What if Nana comes back before us?" Mithrellas asked.

Valerie had a late appointment with the healers, and had gone once she had thought her children were asleep in their rooms. The minute she had left, the elflings had joined their older sister in her room and stated that they were hungry and wanted to go to the kitchens. It was a bad habit that had started a few days before, encouraged by the kitchen staff who enjoyed feeding the reborn elves with all sorts of sweets before their bedtime.

"We have to be quick, she will be back shortly and if you wish to keep doing your little escapades to the kitchen, she better not realize where we go every night instead of having sweet dreams!"

The three elflings nodded in agreement. Phoebe put her finger in front of her lips in a silencing gesture, and reopened the door silently. She lead them in all the dark corridors and bridges, never meeting an elf once except for the guards who were ignoring their presence.

They reached the kitchens where the servants were already waiting for them.

"I have something very special for you," the head cook told them. "It comes from the Eastern territories. It is usually reserved for the royal family, but I am sure the king will not mind," he said, giving a significant look to Phoebe, who knew the king would allow his young adar to have anything he wanted in the realm.

He showed a bowl to the children, who stared at the food with a questioning frown. It did not look appetizing to say the least, and Oropher voiced his opinion out loud.

Phoebe recalled having seen something similar in her early childhood. There was something nagging her at the back of her mind, but she could not pinpoint what her concern was.

"I am not certain, but I think in my world it was called a _peanut_ , or a _nut_ , I do not recall exactly," she said, using the English word. The cook translated the name in Sindarin for them.

"I have not seen any in Imladris since we arrived," she told the cook. "I do not even recall what it tastes like."

She showed her siblings how to break the shell, and put a peanut in her mouth. The others imitated her quickly, and she saw their happy smiles at the unfamiliar but pleasant taste.

She started feeling discomfort, a tickling in her throat that soon became painful. She looked at the head cook, her eyes bulging in fear.

"I cannot... breathe..." she managed to say through ragged breathing, her hands on her constricted throat.

The cook had never seen such a thing happen in his kitchen, but had heard of this sometimes happening to certain mortals. He knew this was beyond his field of expertise. He swiftly lifted the elleth and started running in the direction of the healing rooms, hurrying even more when he noticed that Phoebe's difficult breathing was getting worse. If he did not reach the healers quickly, she would have stopped breathing by the time he handed her to them.

He barged into the entrance of the healing rooms, calling the attention of the first healer he saw, who gestured to put the elleth on the nearest bed. Immediately, two other healers surrounded Phoebe, and the cook moved away, staying close in case they needed information.

"What happened?" a healer asked him.

The three elflings arrived at that moment, they must have been following him since his hasty departure from the kitchens.

"Phoebe!" Nimrodel cried at the top of her lungs, and the head cook had to restrain her before she threw herself on the bed where her sister was panicking, barely breathing.

"She ate a peanut, and this happened..." he said desolately, still holding the elfling against him while Mithrellas and Oropher were standing, shocked by the scene.

A nearby door opened, and Valerie appeared, holding her bulging stomach.

"Valar, what happened?" she said, running to her daughter.

"It is my fault, my Lady," the cook admitted. "I gave your children peanuts, and as soon as Lady Phoebe swallowed one, she started complaining about her throat aching."

"Food allergy," a healer said.

"We need something for the swelling of her throat," the other replied. "Get the herbs that we need immediately!"

A healer had taken the elflings away and the cook had been asked to leave the family alone. He had gone directly to Bronadon and asked to speak to the king personally, to apologize for having put in danger the life of his guest.

Phoebe was crushing her mother's hands, while Valerie was encouraging her not to panic, but to no avail, the harder breathing was, the more she struggled to inhale air in her deprived lungs.

"Do something!" Valerie screamed to a healer when Phoebe completely stopped breathing. She was literally watching her daughter die in front of her eyes. Phoebe's eyes were full of terror, the white of her eyes now red with all the tiny capillaries that had burst. Her lips had turned blue and red spots could be seen on her face where other blood vessels had also burst.

The door boomed open, and Adam entered the room just as a healer bent over Phoebe to perform artificial respiration while another was frantically mixing herbs into a bowl and adding water to make a potion.

"Her throat is too swollen, the air barely goes though. We may have to perform a tracheotomy, although I have never performed one," the healer told Valerie. Phoebe was now unconscious.

Adam pushed the healer away, but Valerie pulled him back, restraining him just like the cook had done with Nimrodel earlier. The healer went back to performing the mouth to mouth while the healer mixing herbs finally cried in triumph once she was done.

"I could feel her panic in my fëa!" Adam told his mother as he paced frantically around while his twin sister was no longer breathing by herself. "Please, Mommy, please tell me that she will not die!"

Valerie was unable to make such a promise. She was continuously praying the Valar to let her daughter live. It seemed unreal that Phoebe would die because she had eaten one peanut while she spent most of her time fighting orcs and had never sustained an injury. She could not die!

"Glorfindel!" she desolately cried, out loud but in her fëa also, sending to her mate a call of pain and terror despite the great distance separating them. Her mate, who had been resting in his tent in the elven camp hidden in the mountains, leaped to his feet and burst out of his tent, sure that his mate was nearby.

"Captain!" Elrohir called. "What happened?"

"Valerie! I felt my mate!"

"What did you feel?"

"She is terrified!"

"She is safe in the king's fortress," Elrohir insisted. "She cannot be terrified!"

"I know what I felt!" Glorfindel aggressively replied. Elrohir decided to stop insisting, and watched his captain who tried to calm down with difficulty. Glorfindel had been different since Valerie's departure, barely sleeping while he had been able to rest after he had bonded with her. The Lord of the Golden Flower was not longer an unreadable ellon, he was now an open book. He carried a permanent frown and was extremely impatient with his warriors. They forgave him but stayed away from him, not wanting to be the next victim of a tongue lashing.

To those who knew him best, and Elrohir more than the others, it was clear that Glorfindel was not living well his separation from his mate. Some elves, like Lord Elrond, could spend centuries, millennia even, without seeing their mate. Others could barely spent a few months away from them. It was obviously Glorfindel's case.

"I have to go to Greenwood," Glorfindel decided.

"It is folly! The mountain pass is still dangerous!"

"Nothing will stop me, Elrohir! You will have to let me go!"

* * *

 _A/N: Thranduil wanted Phoebe to become queen material before he considered marrying her, but now that her life is in danger, will it change his plans?_

 _Paperlanterns86: you are right, Adam is a hot head, he is not as mature as he thinks he is…_

 _Princessnera: Glorfindel will be on his way to Greenwood shortly while things only get worse for the family since they met with Thranduil in Lothlorien! So much to explain for the Elvenking!_

 _Glassary: do you think Thranduil's relationship with Phoebe will develop as he expects? I am having so much fun writing their thoughts and interactions! You will enjoy many more chapters of their banter._

 _Uicchi: for the next chapters, I will concentrate on the development of the pairings that have already been revealed, but there will be additional pairings in the future. But there will be drama before…_

 _Maggie: I felt that Phoebe needed a softer side to make things work with Thranduil, as I don't imagine he has one (not at the moment, let's say!). In the other version, Elladan was the softer one of the couple!_

 _Fihunt: Thranduil will be shaken by Phoebe's ordeal and he will be more accommodating. But I can promise you more epic conversations are to come!_

 _Aralinn: Oropher can do no wrong in Greenwood, that is for sure! But since Nimrodel and Mithrellas don't have a bad history with Greenwood, they will be more easily accepted, as opposed to how Oropher was simply tolerated in Lothlorien..._


	14. Chapter 14 - Greenwood's Claims

_Chapter 13 ended with:_

" _I have to go to Greenwood," Glorfindel decided._

" _It is folly! The mountain pass is still dangerous!"_

" _Nothing will stop me, Elrohir! You will have to let me go!"_

 **Chapter 14 – Greenwood's Claims**

In the healing rooms, the healers had successfully poured some potion down Phoebe's throat, and the swelling had started to abate. They had kept performing the mouth to mouth until the elleth had been conscious again. She had started breathing by herself, but with great difficulty. She was clasping her mother's hand on one side and her twin's on the other, afraid that she would stop breathing once more.

The healer gave her more potion, and within minutes, Phoebe was breathing much better.

"We will keep her for the night, we have plenty of draught should the swelling start again," a healer reassured Valerie.

Valerie slowly caressed her daughter's hair. Phoebe was exhausted and her face bore the traces of her ordeal. Her lips were still swollen, and Valerie could see all the small blood vessels that had burst on her face and throat. In a soft gesture, she dried the tears that were falling on Phoebe's cheeks.

"Mommy is here," she said as if Phoebe still was a young elfling. "I will not leave you. I will take care of you, you will be well, I promise."

She kissed Phoebe's forehead, and the young elleth finally closed her red eyes. Valerie waited a few moments to make sure she was deeply asleep before speaking to the healers.

"She was allergic to peanuts as a mortal child," she stated, "how can she still allergic now that she is an elf?"

"She is a half-elf," the healer said. "I was told that you feel the cold like the mortals do, without catching any diseases. Perhaps allergies remain in half-elves. It is the only explanation I can think of."

"I will spend the night here," Valerie told the healer. She only had to find someone to take care of the children, who had left the healing rooms with a healer a while before.

"You are seven months pregnant! You must rest!"

"I am perfectly fine. I will take care of my daughter. Adam, may I ask that you take care of your siblings this night? Please tell them that Phoebe is fine and that they can see her in the morning."

"Mother, I never take care of them! It is always Phoebe -"

"Phoebe is not available. You will figure it out!" Valerie told her son with impatience.

"I will ask Lady Ninaelil to help you," a healer said, "if you are in agreement, of course," she asked Valerie.

"Fine," Valerie sighed, disappointed that her son had never truly tried to take care of his siblings since their birth. "Adam, also inform Elladan of the events. I am sure he will want to visit Phoebe."

Many hours later, Valerie was awoken by a soft noise in the healing room. She was sleeping on a bed, Phoebe enfolded in her arms with her head on her mother's shoulder. It had been years since Phoebe had slept in her mother's arms with such abandon.

Valerie looked around and discovered that someone was sitting on a chair near the bed, partially hidden in the dark.

"Elladan?" she asked, recognizing the form of a grown ellon. But why would Elladan have come back? He had visited them earlier that evening.

"It is not Elladan." The ellon moved slightly and entered the light, where his signature silvery hair identified him as the king himself.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing here?"

Valerie did not quite like the fact that an ellon outside of their family was seeing them in their nightwear and in such tender moments. Afraid to wake her daughter, Valerie did not move and therefore the king could see Phoebe's abandon, and quite a lot of Valerie's cleavage, her daughter's arm right between her breasts and her large stomach.

But the king had no such inappropriate thoughts. After hearing from his chief cook that Phoebe was dying in the healing rooms because she was allergic to a nut, the king had left his study and had run to the healing rooms, worried beyond words for the first time for someone other than his son.

He had entered the healing rooms through the private door of a room that was reserved for the royal family, and had observed the efforts of the healers as they successfully poured some potion in Phoebe's throat. He wondered how no one had heard his sigh of relief when the healer had stopped breathing in her mouth because the elleth had started breathing by herself again.

He had spent the next hour in the private room, listening to the whispers of the healers as Phoebe was falling asleep and Elladan visited them. He had given orders for Phoebe and her mother to be installed in the royal family's private room.

He had left, only to come back later in the middle of the night, unable to find sleep while Phoebe had still not completely recovered. He had observed mother and daughter for a long time, letting this touching scene envelop him in a peaceful moment the likes he had not felt in a long time. For a long time, he compared mother and daughter's features, noticing under the light of the fire that they had the same softly curled hair, an unusual feature for an elf. They had the same skin tone, the same nose, but Phoebe's features were more elvish, since she had grown half-elven when Valerie had already been an adult when she had been changed.

He could see very well that Phoebe had suffered, her face similar to someone who had been choked to death. His heart was bleeding at the thought of her suffering, and he was suddenly scared for her life. He had just found her, had not been thinking that he could lose her until a few hours back. This obstacle to his will as king was unacceptable. Phoebe would need to be protected at all costs.

"I wanted to apologize for the mistake of my kitchen staff," he answered Valerie's inquiry.

"No one should be blamed for this. If anyone should be, it would be me. I knew that as a human child, she had been allergic to peanuts. I assumed her allergy had disappeared once she became a half-elf. I honestly thought there were no peanuts in Middle Earth. I should never have assumed this. I should have shared this with Lord Elrond, he would have warned me to be more cautious."

"All the peanuts have been destroyed and I have instructed everyone never to bring any in the fortress again."

"It is a shame that your people must be deprived of a treat they appreciate because of a guest. Phoebe can simply be more cautious in the future."

"I will not risk her life once more. My people will have to learn to live without these treats."

"It is hardly fair -"

"I do not care for fairness. I only care for her safety," he replied forcefully.

Valerie stopped arguing, since the king was getting aggravated. Obviously, he was not used to being questioned like this. She stared at him, and he stared back. Why was he not leaving now that he had delivered his message himself? Why was he staying in the room, where Phoebe and her had been sleeping in an attire unfit for public appearance?

"Thank you for your concern, my Lord. Now if you will excuse us..."

"I cannot."

"Cannot what?"

"Leave this room."

"Why? I do not wish to sleep in front of an ellon who is not part of my family."

"Your daughter... there was a threat to her life. I cannot leave her. It is beyond my control." Thranduil seemed disappointed with himself as he whispered these last words.

She supposed it was a first for the king of Greenwood. But more than his disappointment, his words were disturbing. This was an all too familiar comment. Something Glorfindel had told her in the past, each time he had feared for her. These were the words of a fëa-mate whose mate had faced a mortal danger.

Valerie frowned. "Is there anything we should discuss, King Thranduil?"

"With all due respect, I would rather discuss this with your mate."

"My mate is not here. But I am. I am her mother and at the moment, the sole guardian of my daughters," she said, emphasizing on the plural. She had heard rumors about his son being fascinated by Mithrellas. She wanted an explanation on this as well.

Thranduil sighed and leaned back against the chair. He suddenly looked so old and tired, even if his features were young. It was in his posture, in his exhausted air replacing his usual expressionless demeanor.

"Legolas feels a bond with your daughter Mithrellas."

"She is 11 years old. This is insane!"

"It is not insane. Nowadays, it is simply... unusual. There are no more elflings in Middle Earth except yours and your nephew. But centuries ago, many elves had the joy of seeing their fëa-mates grow up and come of age. Of course, one will always prefer if their mate is already an adult when they meet first. But between not knowing who your mate is, and knowing who they are but having to wait 50 years to be with them, the choice is easy. 50 years is such a short time..."

Valerie closed her eyes to avoid his persuasive stare. His explanation was plausible. "This does not seem... healthy." She did not want to use the words _corruption of minor_. Legolas always had the strictest of conducts. But what did he see when he watched her?

"She is just a child -" Valerie attempted to express her concerns in the most respectful way.

"And this is how he sees her. Never in the history of our race was there an elf who took advantage of an elfling. I spoke to Legolas earlier this night, after I heard the rumors spreading. Of course he had already shared his feelings with me, but I believe he is unable to keep them a complete secret. He loves her as an elfling, as a child he cares for deeply. He would give his life to protect hers, to ensure that she will become the elleth she is meant to be. And once she is an adult, it will be up to her to decide if she wants to bind herself to him."

"I will never force one of my children to enter an arranged marriage," she warned him.

"It is not something I recommend to anyone," he replied darkly. "I suggest that once you go back home, you discuss this with your mate. I am certain that Lord Glorfindel will be familiar with the situation Legolas and Mithrellas find themselves in. My son will respect whatever decision you will take about your daughter until she comes of age. He simply hopes that he will be allowed to see her from time to time."

"I will discuss this with my mate," she promised.

Valerie reflected on this discussion for a few more moments, trying to reconcile what Thranduil had said about Mithrellas and Legolas with what was going on between him and Phoebe.

"I doubt you see Phoebe as a child," she eventually whispered. "And you have been married before. What is it that you seek from her?"

"One day... I hope that she will accept to be my wife."

"You are already married. She is in the Halls of Mandos, or perhaps she is reborn already and is waiting for you in Valinor."

"Legolas' naneth was not my fëa-mate. Once she is reborn, she will never claim another title than being the mother of my son. Married people who were not true fëa-mates, once separated by death, have no obligation to each other in their second life. Arranged marriages are rare, but there is history supporting my claim. You can also ask your mate."

Valerie tried to attack the problem from a different angle. "The age difference between you and her is extreme!"

"It is smaller than the one between you and your own mate."

Valerie closed her mouth when she was about to protest. The king was right. The age disparity between Glorfindel and her was immense, and not something that was an issue between them.

"Your relationship is hardly friendly. You are cold as ice, and do nothing to endear yourself to her. She was quite angry with you the other night."

"She is young. She will have to learn to speak and act like a queen."

"She was not raised to become a queen, she was raised to be a warrior, and a great one at that. I am not even sure that she wants to be queen. In fact, I am certain she is not interested."

"I am king. I cannot abdicate and let down my people in order to bind with my mate. I have to trust that the Valar knew what they were doing when they decided to unite our fëar. She will be my queen one day. It might take time, but it will happen," he said with assurance.

His certainty that he would eventually bond with Phoebe was displeasing to Valerie's ears. Her daughter had a say in this. She had tried to flirt with the king, but flirtation at age 17 and intent to bond for an eternal lifetime were certainly not the same. In Valerie's opinion, Phoebe was much too young to make such a permanent decision. She did not know the king well, and what she knew about him had not seemed to interest Phoebe all that much.

"She did not share with me that she feels anything special for you, except for her discontent when you danced together the other night. Romance seemed... far from her mind, to say the least."

"But you must have noticed that she does have feelings, despite her attempts to hide it. You have seen her act differently since we met in Lothlorien. I am certain that you do not recognize your daughter when I am around. Admit it."

"Yes," Valerie admitted after a long moment. She could not lie. Phoebe had flirted with the king a few times, even in front of her, until the feast where they had had an argument. "But for her, it may only be an infatuation. Who says she feels a bond with you? Who says she will not have forgotten you once we are back in Imladris?"

"She knows we share a bond. She has known since childhood. It was the first thing she asked me once we were introduced again in Lothlorien – if I had kept her heart-shaped rock."

Valerie closed her eyes, and caressed Phoebe's thick hair with great care. It was a miracle that this discussion had not woken her. No doubt the strong sleeping draught was helping Phoebe sleep despite the voices arguing around her.

The king had an answer ready for all her questions and arguments. Since they were being very honest with each other, she decided to be completely transparent too.

"I had hoped that my daughter would find a mate who would be easy-going. And you are the complete opposite of that." She was not going to tell him she thought he was difficult, arrogant, closed-minded and disdainful. And that was just scratching the surface of his charming character.

"Why? Why did you hope your daughter would be mated to an easy-going ellon?"

"Because I know what it feels like to be bonded with an ellon who is tormented by memories of his past and by the weight of his duty." That was the most she was going to say about Glorfindel. She loved him beyond words, and no one had to know details about their life. If the king was clever, he would get her meaning.

Thranduil nodded his head. He knew she was right. He had met the Lord of the Golden Flower a few times in the past millennia, and respected him greatly. Glorfindel was tormented, and it must not be easy to cope with his baggage on a daily basis. And... Thranduil knew himself to be the most difficult ellon alive in Middle Earth, and in all honesty, he was proud of that fact. He had never cared about the impact of his character on his former wife. She had accepted to marry him to become queen without feeling love for him, she only had to live with the consequences of her decision. And now, thinking of the one who was truly destined to be his... Would Phoebe be strong enough to support him in all his endeavors, without being crushed by his strong will?

Valerie was asking herself the same question. In order to stand up to the king, Phoebe would have to become more mature, get to know herself, her limits and beliefs, develop some self confidence which she lacked now, as a teenager. And that only came with experience. Valerie could not help her become more mature.

She covered Phoebe with the warm blanket. "Sleep well, my love," she murmured in her daughter's ear. "I am here with you. I will help you, protect you, forever."

"So am I," the king murmured.

In her sleep, Phoebe started to smile peacefully.

OoOoO

"Lady Phoebe, do you mind if I join you?"

Phoebe looked up and saw the king standing before her. She closed her book and put it on her lap. It was now a routine for them to meet every afternoon in the private garden of the royal family. Since his guests liked spending time there, the king had ensured that his late wife's abandoned garden was restored back to a proper state, a place where ladies and children would enjoy relaxing and playing.

From their viewpoint, Phoebe and Thranduil could see the children play with their governesses, observe Oropher's antics and the less than patient miens of the sisters he continuously bothered with his chatter and shenanigans.

During their first meetings, to break the ice, the king had asked Phoebe questions about her world. His curiosity was insatiable. Phoebe started bringing some parchment and charcoal to draw some of her memories. The house where she had been born with Adam, the cars, Valerie's old dog who had died when Phoebe was 4. Thranduil was watching the drawings with curiosity, asking technical questions and understanding less than half of her explanations. It did not help that Phoebe had been so young when she had left her world, she sometimes had to ask more information to her mother when she couldn't satisfy the king's thirst for knowledge.

They were chatting, or more accurately, Phoebe was talking and the king was listening. He still was expressionless most of the times, but she was getting good at reading the imperceptible signs of his curiosity, merriment or anger. It was all in his eyes, or in the slight twitch of the right corner of his mouth. One had to be very observant to see it.

"How is your naneth today?"

"Not well, I am afraid. She barely sleeps nowadays. Your healers say that it is normal since she is one month away from giving birth, but I have seen my mother being pregnant twice before, and I can tell you that it is unusual for her. She lacks the will to overcome her fatigue." Phoebe looked at him in the eye, in a way he now knew meant that she wanted an honest answer. "Can someone fade from being away from their mate?" she asked with worry.

She could not explain why she had not dared ask this question to someone else but the king. She could have asked Elladan, but he spent much time with Adam in the forest with the guards. Phoebe had stopped going with them, knowing her mother needed her more than ever, whether to take care of her siblings on her behalf, or simply to be there with her. She could have asked a healer, but since no one knew how her mother usually was, few people could explain how Valerie was different than her usual energetic, positive self. She used to be like a force of nature, now almost everyone in Greenwood thought her mother was a melancholic elleth.

Over the past weeks, since her accident in the kitchens, Phoebe had found a common understanding with the king. She knew he wanted her, her mother had told her as much, and it was something much more serious than she had originally thought. She had known she wanted him from the moment she had seen him in Lothlorien, but it was one thing to be drawn to an ellon and quite another to know he returned the sentiment. She was both proud and a little afraid of knowing this strong, cold ellon wanted her for a mate, although discussing this was out of the question until she was officially an adult.

She trusted him. She knew he would not sugar-coat the truth. If her naneth was in danger of fading, he would tell her. It was just his way – he was not treating her like a child.

"It would be a rare occurrence over such a short period of time. Your parents have been apart for less than a year, and furthermore, your adar is alive, not in the Halls of Mandos."

"But she is unwell, I can tell! She misses him, dreadfully so. I can see that she thinks of him all the time."

"Maybe half-elves have more difficulty coping with separation from their mate? I am sorry that I do not have more information, your mother, brother and yourself are the first true half-elves living in Middle Earth in the last few centuries."

"I cannot imagine how she will find the strength to give birth once more under the circumstances."

"My healers are experienced, you should not worry."

There was a commotion at the gate, where a few warriors had arrived, followed by visitors wearing cloaks in the colors of Imladris. Phoebe was stunned for a second or two, wondering who was arriving from her homeland, but the answer came to her quickly, supported by the golden locks coming out of the hood of one of the visitors.

Thranduil winced when Phoebe yelled "Ada!" at the top of her lungs to catch the attention of the visitor. He did not have time to scowl that she was already running in the direction of her father.

She threw herself in his arms, and as the warrior's hood was falling, Thranduil recognized Glorfindel, who was crushing his daughter against his chest as if he had not seen her in years. Maybe they were closer than he had anticipated. After all, the Lord of the Golden Flower was not a demonstrative ellon, and Phoebe was only his adopted daughter. She must have found her way to the Captain's heart, just like she had done for him.

Thranduil realized that the Imladris captain had been unable to stay away from his mate, and had risked his life to come to Greenwood with only two warriors as an escort, to be able to join his family. It had been a suicidal idea under the circumstances, one Thranduil would not have had, but then again, he did not know what it felt like to be separated from your bonded mate. He supposed he might have done the same, if Phoebe had been carrying his child and had been in another realm. He closed his eyes, all too easily imagining Phoebe with an overdeveloped stomach, carrying his son. How beautiful she would be!

The three elflings were already running in Glorfindel's direction, screaming in delight. It was such an unexpected scene, one he felt uncomfortable witnessing, but where could he go to give them some privacy? There was only one way back to the fortress, and he would have to walk near the reunited family.

He watched as Glorfindel went on his knees at be at his youngest children's level, and enclosed the three elflings in one hug while they fought to put their little arms around him. Phoebe was standing beside them, her right arm still around her adar's neck.

"Ada! I am so glad you are here! I have so much to tell you!" Oropher's little voice rang in the yard. "Phoebe almost died last month! It was horrible! She could not breathe, her eyes were huge! Only because she ate one little peanut! And now, no one can eat peanuts anymore!"

Glorfindel looked at his older daughter with a frown, unsure if he could believe everything Oropher had told him in his usual excitement.

"It is true. I will tell you about it later, do not worry, I am perfectly fine," Phoebe told him while putting her forehead on the side of her adar's head.

"Ada, I got lost in the forest when the spiders attacked us, and Nana came to get me!" Nimrodel started her own tale.

"Truly?" Glorfindel asked, his frown disappearing to be replaced by an angry expression that could scare any warrior facing him.

"Yes, and when we were in the forest, Nana was hurt by a warg! It had huge fangs and claws, and it was drooling while trying to catch us. I was so scared! But Nana pushed me up in the tree, but she did not have time to climb after me. The warg hit her with its claws, oh Ada, it was bleeding so much! Her boot was full of blood, and she was in pain but she was trying to hide it, and after, she could not walk for weeks!"

The children could see that their father was outraged, and they thought that maybe he did not believe them. The only elfling of the trio who was known for never lying took over, knowing their father would trust her word.

"Nimrodel is right, Ada," Mithrellas told him very seriously, backing away a little to ensure he could see her face properly and discern that their tale was authentic. "Her leg still has four scars, do you think they will fade away one day?" Mithrellas continued with the innocence of youth.

"I will have to see the scars to answer you," Glorfindel abruptly said, barely containing his fury in front of his youngest children.

"Phoebe killed a huge spider all by herself, did you not, Phoebe?" Mithrellas added. "Legolas said it was the first time in Greenwood's history that a warrior took down a spider by himself. Adam was jealous for a long time, Ada. He ignored her for many days. It saddened me, I wish you had been there to reason with him."

This was the last straw. Glorfindel let go of his children and stood, and it was obvious that only Phoebe's calming arm around his waist was keeping his temper in check. The captain of Imladris was looking around, looking for someone of high rank in Greenwood to vent his fury. Thranduil thought it might be best to make an appearance to immediately address the ellon's anger.

One of the warriors who had journeyed with Glorfindel appeared by his side and diverted the attention of the children by removing his hood.

"Uncle Elrohir!" Oropher cried, jumping in the open arms of the ellon who had married their aunt Allison. His sisters joined him, leaving Glorfindel alone with Phoebe, who tried to calm down her father with shooting words about her mother being fine, perfectly healthy and still very pregnant.

"Lord Glorfindel," the king called from afar, walking in the direction of the reunited family. "This is an unexpected visit!"

Glorfindel gently pushed Phoebe towards Elrohir and turned to face the ellon he considered the ultimate person responsible of his family's misfortunes. The one who should have stayed in Greenwood instead of showing up in Lothlorien to convince his wife to visit his caves.

"A visit I am sure you hoped to avoid, if only not to have to discuss the poor effectiveness of the security measures you used to ensure the safety of my family!"

"These were most regrettable incidents," the king admitted, annoyed but knowing he was in the wrong. He swallowed his pride before causing a diplomatic incident that might cost him some precious time with Oropher and Phoebe. "You cannot blame me for not anticipating that your half-elven daughter was allergic to peanuts. Even your mate was appalled and berated herself for having assumed that this childhood allergy had disappeared."

Glorfindel could only admit that Thranduil was correct about this matter in particular. But certainly not about his other grievances.

"What about my wife getting attacked by a warg while lost in the forest with Nimrodel?"

Thranduil eyed Phoebe, who had come back beside her father after welcoming her uncle. "There are... dangers that your wife is facing. It would please me to discuss this at a later time. In private."

Glorfindel had understood there were things the king wanted to discuss with him out of his children's earshot. He saw from the corner of his eye that his older son had appeared in the yard and was walking rapidly in their direction, a joyous smile on his face. Whatever had happened to his family during their separation, all seemed well for the moment. He would speak to his son, spend time with his mate and then decide what to do with the king of Greenwood. He ignored the king's last remark and turned to Adam, a forced smile on his face while attempting to push his anger in a far corner of his mind.

"Adar!" the soon-to-be adult ellon cried-out, and he was soon held against his father's chest, reminding all witnesses that even if he physically looked like a grown adult, Adam was still a 17-years-old elfling. The way Phoebe was clinging again to Glorfindel was also a reminder of the same.

 _She is still an elfling,_ Thranduil repeated to his tormented inner self.

* * *

 _A/N: Phoebe's ordeal certainly softened Thranduil, no more of these expectations from now on! In the next chapter, Glorfindel and Valerie are reunited, and the next prophecy elfling will be born. Who do you think this one will be? It's a completely new child to the series..._

 _Princessnerra: Thranduil was scared beyond words, he could not even let Phoebe sleep without being with her that first night. That will change his perspective on their relationship!_

 _Glassary: you are right, their relationship will be volatile. A lot will happen though before they are able to bind…_

 _fihunt: Glorfindel made it with Elrohir, and he is not happy. But first, he needs to see that his mate is safe._

 _Maggie: Glorfindel will want to bring his family back home as soon as possible, the only place where he feels he can keep them safe…and away from the king!_

 _Aralinn: both of them have been softened by her ordeal – he will diminish his expectations, and she feels closer to him now that they spent many moments alone together just to talk. They got to know each other…_

 _ndavis77: Thranduil now knows her better, and realizes that she is not mature enough yet. But in the end, he will have to take as she is, she will not change for him!_

 _Paperlanters86: yes, Phoebe made it, I like Thranduil too much to make him lose his fëa-mate! She will not become a proper lady anytime soon, the Elvenking will learn that he cannot control everything. It will be a hard lesson coming for him._

 _KrystylSky: yes, Thranduil's plans will never happen, reality will hit him hard soon!_


	15. Chapter 15 - An Invitation

_Chapter 14 ended with:_

" _Adar!" the soon-to-be adult ellon cried-out, and he was soon held against his father's chest, reminding all witnesses that even if he physically looked like a grown adult, Adam was still a 17-years-old elfling. The way Phoebe was clinging again to Glorfindel was also a reminder of the same._

She is still an elfling, _Thranduil repeated to his tormented inner self._

 **Chapter 15 – An Invitation**

"I gave a sleeping draught to your mate a few hours ago," the healer informed him. She was in the suite that Valerie was sharing with Phoebe and the younger children. "She has not been sleeping well lately. She needs to rest," the healer insisted verbally while her obstruction of the door was clearly indicating that she was attempting to convince him to stay away from his mate. Whom he had not seen in many months and who had faced danger and pain in his absence. His mate who was carrying his child.

Glorfindel had to admit that this healer was courageous to oppose him in such a way, but she stood absolutely no chance to have him turn back and come back later.

"I am grateful for the care you took of my wife," he told her courteously. "But make no mistake. What my mate needs is not a sleeping draught. She needs my presence."

"I am sure she will be happy to join you in your suite once she wakes up. At such an advanced stage of pregnancy..."

Glorfindel suddenly understood what the healer was trying to tell him. She thought that he should abstain from making love to his wife until she had given birth and recovered! He had no idea what the Greenwood customs were in this particular case, and he cared not for respecting customs that would not allow him to be with his wife. How dare she intrude in his private life! He no longer thought her courageous, he now thought her completely and utterly stupid.

He walked closer to her, towered over her and actually saw her shrink under his glare.

"You can tell the housekeeper not to bother preparing a separate suite for me. I am planning to share my wife's bed every night for the duration of our stay, which will be short, I promise you this, since Greenwood cannot seem to protect my family properly. What happens in that bed is none of your concern, but I strongly suggest that you look the other way if you do not want to see me disregard your futile recommendations."

"This is not appropriate!"

"Us having this discussion is not appropriate. Lord Elladan and Lord Elrohir will be in charge of my mate's health from now on. You are relieved from your duty. Immediately."

"The king will hear about it!"

"Please, do go tell him," he challenged her, knowing the king would never dare interfere in this matter. Not when he knew that Glorfindel had so much grievances to discuss with him.

The healer walked around him, careful not to touch him while he did not move at all to help her. He was unhappy with himself to have let his temper emerge like this, but he was at the end of his patience. He had missed his children tremendously, but most of all, he needed his mate, who was sleeping just in the other room. This last obstacle had been too much for his thinning patience. He promised himself to apologize to the healer the next time he saw her. If she ever dared face him again.

He entered the room only lit by a single candle. In the semi-darkness, he saw that Valerie was sleeping on her left side, her back to him. She truly seemed to be sleeping peacefully, her quiet breathing the only sound in the room. He forced himself to control his pace and walked around the bed in silence, taking in her appearance. He knelt beside the bed, a little away to stop his urge to simply grab her body and crush it against his chest.

His mate. His love, who had obviously suffered from their separation. She did not look healthy, even if to him she would always be the most beautiful elleth. Her features had not changed at all, a relief to him who was worried about the fact that she was half-elven. No white hair, no wrinkles had appeared in a year. It was confirmation that she truly would not age. Her pink, full lips were slightly open on a dreamy smile while her right hand rested on her stomach. She had always liked being pregnant, the process of creating life giving her a sense of purpose that she had attempted to explain to him many times. But she had dark circles under her eyes, was paler than usual and her red hair lacked its usual glow.

He gently caressed her cheek, surprised by how cold her skin was. Phoebe had tried to warn him before he had asked to see his wife, he remembered that now. She had wanted to warn him that she suspected her beloved mother was fading, but he had refused to believe her, disregarding her words without much thought. But now faced with a Valerie in such deep slumber that she could not even feel his presence beside her, he had to admit that Phoebe might have been right. He had seen elves fade before, and many bore similar physical signs than the ones he recognized on Valerie.

Did that mean that his bond with Valerie did not allow them to be separated for many months? Was it because she was half-elven? If that were the case, the consequences were terrible! She could not travel without him in Middle Earth, nor could he leave Imladris himself if battles and wars occurred again. And the Valar forbid, should he ever fall during an attack, she would have to be immediately sent to Valinor before it was too late. And what about Phoebe and Adam, when they would meet their mates? And in what state was Allison, who had not seen Elrohir in the past four months, since they had been in the mountain pass to fight orcs and had then decided to go to Greenwood? He would speak to the ellon as soon as he had a chance, warn him that his mate might be in a similar state. Elrohir might want to leave for Imladris sooner rather than later.

He continued caressing Valerie's face, moving on to her hair and the delicately pointy ear that he could see. He moved on to her stomach, trying to feel if the child was awake in her womb. He felt a slight movement and smiled at his first contact with his unborn child. Would it be an ellon or an elleth? A sudden thought occurred to him: would Valerie have survived the birth without his presence, while being in an early stage of fading? He refused to let his mind go down this path. He was there now, and would restore her to perfect health.

Speaking of which, he gently removed the sheet covering the lower half of her body and observed her legs, looking for the wound Mithrellas had mentioned. There it was, on one of her calves, four scars, well aligned, obviously the marks of a warg. The scars were healing well, and he knew they would eventually disappear. But he could only imagine how she had felt. Had she screamed, had she cried? Who had helped her? How long had she remained in the woods, bleeding, helpless, while Thranduil and his warriors were miserably failing at protecting her? He gently caressed each of the scars with a finger, praying the Valar that this was going to be the last time Valerie was ever injured in her life. Valerie needed his protection, even now, at that moment. He needed to be with her, close to her, enclose her in his embrace.

He silently removed his weapons, his cloak, his boots and his tunic, only keeping his leggings to be more comfortable. He lied down behind Valerie and pulled her cold body against his warm chest. He put his hand on top of hers and closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her hair and her skin. He quickly fell into a deep slumber himself, something he had not experienced in months. He could sleep now, he knew she would chase away his worries and his nightmares.

He woke an hour later, feeling movements against his chest. Valerie was about to wake, somewhere between sleep and rest, and she could feel someone in the bed with her. Her fëa would soon recognize his and force her to wakefulness to finally acknowledge his presence. That sleeping draught was one of the strongest he had seen healers use!

His hand left her stomach and started roaming on her hip, rubbing her side until he could not stop the movement higher and gently cupped her right breast. Her body was different, but he had always liked her pregnant figure. He thought her beautiful when she was with child. He wanted her, needed her, he needed to feel his fëa intertwine with hers. He slowly moved her hair away and put his lips on the nape of her neck. She moaned softly. His hand became more impatient while his mouth reached her ear.

"Valerie, my love," he murmured. "I missed you. Wake up, naur nin – _my fire_."

"Glorfindel?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"I am here, my sweet love. And I will never let you out of my sight ever again," he passionately promised.

She tried to turn in his embrace to face him, and he moved his arm up to allow the movement.

"Glorfindel?" she asked again, this time truly awake. "Oh gods! You are truly here!" She threw her hands around his neck and almost choked him with the strength of her embrace. She immediately started to sob.

"Do not cry, we are together now," he pleaded.

"I am crying because I am happy! I am so relieved! I missed you so much! We have been apart for so long!"

"I missed you too. I missed all of you dreadfully."

"There is so much I want to tell you, I do not know where to start!"

"I already heard about some of your adventures. We can discuss these later. I want to know how you are faring. I was pleasantly surprised when I got your letter telling me that you were pregnant. And quite angry that you did not turn back. You look tired."

"This pregnancy has been easy enough. But you are right, I feel exhausted. Every action requires a level of energy I have no more. I never felt like this before. It is as if... I feel empty... hollow," she struggled to explain.

"I am sure we will restore you to full health in no time." He moved her away from him and gently cradled her face in his hands. "You are so precious to me."

So much he wanted to tell her, but he could not find the right words. When it came to his love for her, actions had always been easier than words. That day was no different. He gently put his lips on hers, giving her a chaste kiss reflecting the purity of his feelings for his bonded mate. Valerie kissed him back as chastely at first, but she was the one who deepened the kiss, tasting him, her tongue caressing his sensually.

"Where are the children?" she asked breathlessly, tactfully voicing her intentions.

"They are with Phoebe. Not in this apartment."

"The Valar bless her fëa. What would we do without her?" She kissed him again, this time creating fire in his veins, a burning she knew would only be satisfied with physical intimacy.

His hands started roaming feverishly on her body, reacquainting himself with her curves through the thin silk of her gown. "Valerie, we need to talk..."

"We can talk later. I want you, I have been dreaming of this moment for months! I would wake up in the middle of the night, panting, knowing full well my body was remembering the pleasure you are so talented at giving me. I am certain my traveling companions have heard me during those nights, sleeping yet feeling your hands on my skin..."

"You were dreaming about me?" he whispered in her ear with a deep, husky voice.

"Dreams at night, day dreaming, all the time! I admit that in these fantasies, I imagined myself with my normal figure, not as I am today. I am huge!"

"You are gorgeous," he murmured in her hair while she started attacking the laces of his leggings. "Curvy, ripe for the taking."

"Then take me!" she cried, finally opening his leggings and inserting her hand in the opening to caress his hard elfhood.

The thin gown was a soft barrier he could not suffer, not after all these months, not when she was so impatient to mate with him. He untied the ribbons closing the neck of her gown and opened it to free her breasts. Round, firm, the pink nipples erected in the middle of this perfection. He started nuzzling her neck while his hand was gently massaging her left breast, then teasing the nipple until it became a tight bud that he gently sucked on. Valerie moaned and slowed the massaging movements on his penis, her eyes closed while she reveled in the sensations that his mouth created. She panted for a few moments, her body responding to his, but soon, in the fog of pleasure, she remembered that he had been deprived of physical bliss just as much as she had been. She resumed the movement of her hand, and it was his turn to groan and try to add more friction to increase the sensations.

"I do not think either of us will last all that long," she murmured. "I think I could come with just your mouth on my breasts. But I want to feel you in me. I want to feel your elfhood move in and out of me, filling me completely, the friction… I want the friction, my love. I need it now," she demanded feverishly.

He could not resist such a demand, not with her hungry expression and throaty voice. He quickly pulled up her gown and turned her on her other side. Making love face to face was unfortunately no longer possible. Before proceeding, he took a second to silently thank the Valar for having kept his mate alive, for allowing their humble servant to keep enjoying marital life with this incredible elleth. He then gently lifted her leg, and in a smooth movement despite the recent lack of practice, he entered her, once more savoring the tightness and softness of her core. It was like being in Valinor while still being in Middle Earth, a feeling he could not live without anymore. Never again would he be separated from her for so long. _Never again_ , he vowed.

"I want to renew our bond," he whispered his demand in her ear. "We both need it desperately."

"I am yours, my love," she sighed softly. "Heart, body and soul, I am yours."

As he started a slow rhythm that had them both pant heavily, Glorfindel instinctively sent out his fëa to meet Valerie's, their souls intertwining like only elven mates could. They were both assaulted by the other's feelings, a symbiosis of devotion and passion, a closeness that culminated in heightened shared physical bliss.

"I am yours," he murmured, his endurance barely hanging by a thread. He wanted to come, needed to come, but she had to share his pleasure too.

"Like this, like this," she cried, her body arching backward, all her muscles tense in the anticipation of the climax. Glorfindel licked the sheer sweat she had on her neck, his right hand snaking under her belly to caress her wet folds. His fingers found the swollen bud and she cried out when he put pressure on it. "Oh, sweet Elbereth, yes!"

"I like it when you invoke the gods when I make love to you," he huskily said. "It is supposed to be meant to celebrate their glory, but in your mouth, it sounds so... indecent. Say it again!"

He gave a stronger push, one that had her yelp in surprise and delight.

"I will give you indecent words, husband," she replied, putting her arm behind her to pull his head even closer to hers. "You are stretching me so completely, I know you want to explode in me, to fill me with your seed, but you will not. Not until you give me satisfaction," she said, attempting to sound directive while his increased pounding was turning her into jelly. She was on the edge, they both knew it, just like they both knew that his own orgasm was about to start.

" _Fuck_ me," she cried, using an English word that he knew was very filthy. He bit into her neck, and she cried, cried as she fell over the edge, her pleasure invading his fëa while the walls of her core were constricting around his swollen elfhood. He felt jet after jet of his seed filling her, the combined bliss almost unbearable. He knew he had cried her name out loud, but could not recall how many times.

They stayed in that position, still joined, for a long moment. He knew that their activities had awaken the child in her stomach, he could feel the kicks under his hand. Valerie laughed softly. "The baby will not go back to sleep anytime soon."

"Do you think it will be an ellon or an elleth?" he asked. After all, the birth of Mithrellas and Nimrodel had proven that prophecy elflings would not only be males.

"Oropher thinks it is an ellon. He so desperately wants a brother. He says ellith are annoying."

Glorfindel chuckled. "Let us hope his wish will be granted, otherwise, we will hear about it for the next 50 years. Now, as our fëar were joined, I have gathered some very interesting piece of information directly in that stubborn mind of yours."

Valerie grinned, knowing her mate was very bothered by the fact that his oldest daughter, his precious and dear Phoebe, had raised the interest of the cold king of Greenwood. She marveled at his self-control. Had he not still been buried inside of her, he would probably be holding his sword against Thranduil's throat. Phoebe owed her. Big time.

OoOoO

Thranduil was standing near the gate, observing the preparations for departure of the Imladris elves. He could not believe that they were already leaving. He had expected them to remain as guests of his realm for at least nine months after the birth of the elfling. But here they were, gathering their packs and weapons while snow had probably not finished melting in the mountain pass, while the Lady of the Golden Flower had given birth merely two months before.

She, who had been declining in health, had quickly recovered following what Thranduil suspected had been several renewals of her bond with her mate. Valerie had attended many events after Glorfindel's arrival, having regained much strength, a subtle satiated air on her face that very few had been able to read but him, observant as he had always been. Glorfindel had rarely left her alone during that time, except when he was having Adam and Phoebe go through the most challenging training the Greenwood warriors had ever witnessed. Hours after hours of sword and hand-to-hand combat, and running, and archery... Phoebe and Adam had never complained, not even once, while many warriors he knew would have begged their captain for mercy. Thranduil had not been able to tell Glorfindel he thought it was too much, since he technically had no right to interfere – _yet_. But he had multiplied the activities that Valerie usually attended and had successfully spared the warrior-elleth quite a few trainings when Glorfindel had decided to remain with his mate. But then, the arrival of the baby had ended the insane trainings.

The birth had taken place three weeks after Glorfindel's arrival, with Elladan and Elrohir acting as healers, to the dismay of his own healing team, who had been counting on this honor. Lady Valerie had given birth surrounded by Imladris elves only while he and Legolas had been pacing in the next room. The younger elflings and Adam had waited with them and their governesses while Phoebe had attended the birth too. It all had happened quickly, certainly not in a pain-free manner but fast enough, as far as he could tell, and a few minutes later, Glorfindel had shown up in the waiting room, proudly holding a small bundle in his arms. He had knelt in front of his younger children so that they could all see the newest addition to their already large family.

They had given a nickname to the infant until a messenger from Lady Galadriel had announced that the elfling was Turgon, King of Gondolin and High King of the Noldor. Glorfindel had been overjoyed by the honor of welcoming his former king in his family. The Greenwood people had been in awe in front of this miraculous event. Once again, Valerie of the Golden Flower had given birth to a king, but if Oropher had died in battle in his first life, his life had been relatively easy when compared to Turgon's. The former king of Gondolin and High King of the Noldor had experienced traumatic events and he was, Thranduil thought, a child that had a history that would make his recollection of his past all the more difficult for a child. The Elvenking would never want to be the adar of this reborn child! But then again, who could help the elfling recall these traumatic events better than Glorfindel, the warrior who had lost his life defending Turgon's city and who had saved Turgon's grandson?

Turgon had secretly built the city of Gondolin, and had ruled over it for 400 years. He had experienced the disappearance of his sister Aredhel, who had been, most said, abducted by Eöl and forced to marry him. She had given him a child, Maeglin, and one day when Eöl was not at home, she had escaped with her son and reached Gondolin where Turgon had celebrated her return. If she had been truly in love with her husband, would she had left her mate the moment she had been alone? Thranduil doubted it. But this joyful reunion had had terrible consequences for the hidden realm. Eöl had followed his wife and son and had tried to kill his son for his supposed treachery. Aredhel had lost her life protecting her son from his adar's wrath. Turgon had condemned his sister's husband to death and cast him down the city walls. His nephew Maeglin had remained in Gondolin and eventually had fallen in love with Turgon's daughter Idril. She did not return his feelings, and Maeglin betrayed Turgon and the whole city of Gondolin to Morgoth. The destruction of the hidden realm had soon followed. Idril had escaped with her husband Tuor and her son Eärendil, Elrond's father. Turgon was in fact Elrond's great-grandfather. What a strange thought!

No, raising Turgon would be no easy feat, but Lady Valerie did not seem worried at all. She had welcomed her new son with joy and it was obvious that she already loved him very much. It was the same kind of love that she bestowed upon all her children. There was something so touching, so passionate, so _human_ about the way that she fussed around them, as if there was a time limit to their relationship, as if she had not realized yet that her children would be with her forever. Not that the other ellith loved their children less, but they usually were not so demonstrative about it. And Valerie's children were also very open about their affection towards their naneth. They all looked at her with adoring eyes, as if she was a walking miracle, even Phoebe and Adam. And Oropher was probably the worst. If he ever looked at Valerie like this in front of his true naneth once they all sailed to Valinor, there would be major trouble. Thranduil did not recall his grandmother Lithil being a nice lady.

But maybe Valerie would gain Lithil's heart like she did for everyone around her. It was astounding to see how she had everyone wrapped around her little finger. Elrond's children, Lady Galadriel, most of the ladies and lords of the Greenwood court, the children's governesses, even Legolas considered himself her friend! And let him not forget Glorfindel himself, Elrond's aloof captain.

Thranduil had always felt that Glorfindel was the elf closest to himself in terms of character. Like the Lord of the Golden Flower, Thranduil hated public displays of affection, and believed that one's mind should always rule over one's heart. But the visit of the Imladris elves had been quite an eye opener. As he was walking in the royal family's aisle where his guests were also lodged, he had sometimes heard a sound he had never heard before: Glorfindel's deep laughter covering the soft chuckles of his mate. They enjoyed each other's company. In more than one way, if he could believe the other sounds he had also heard in the middle of the night, when he was eavesdropping against his own will. Behind closed doors, Glorfindel was an entirely different ellon, passionate and playful.

Could he have a relationship like this with Phoebe? Could he remain a strong king, feared by his enemies, respected by his people, and be happy behind closed doors? If Glorfindel was able to manage it, why wouldn't he be able to do it too? Maybe he did not have to wait for Phoebe to become as serious and cold as he was? Maybe they could simply share happiness in the most discreet of manners?

Thranduil was still deep in his thoughts when Phoebe appeared by his side, and by the frown on Glorfindel's face, it was clear that the elleth's father would have preferred if they did not have a conversation out of earshot.

"I wish we had stayed longer," she whispered in such a low tone that even Thranduil could barely hear her. "We have not spent time together since my adar arrived and Turgon was born."

Thranduil wholeheartedly agreed with her. He wished he had had more time to explore the opportunity he had just imagined. But it was too late. He had to be reasonable, and ponder on his future with her once she was gone. He would explore his options in the quietness and solitude of his chambers, when no one was there to observe him. "We had many opportunities before he arrived," he simply replied.

"We did not talk at all about what I truly wanted to discuss with you."

"You know that we cannot discuss this, not until you are older," he answered seriously. He silently prayed that Glorfindel had not heard his daughter's words.

"Then I insist that we discuss this matter on my 18th birthday. There will be a celebration in Imladris. I will expect you to attend, my Lord."

Thranduil smirked. Like her mother, Phoebe was already head strong. "I will do my best to meet your expectations."

Phoebe came closer to him, a strange smile on her beautiful face, somewhere between sensuality and mischief. "In the meantime, I want you to think of me. A lot. May your dreams be feverish and tormented like mine are. And when you wake, know that I will lie awake too, thinking of you, craving for you."

In a second, her words went from his brain directly to his groin, and he shifted uncomfortably. Thank the Valar, he was always wearing long robes over his leggins, it offered him now some much needed privacy.

"May the Valar protect you during your journey," he said, backing away to a respectable distance before Glorfindel arrived in a show of fatherly righteousness.

"Your Majesty, I wish to express my gratitude for your hospitality all these months." Valerie had appeared beside them, pulling Oropher by the hand. She looked at her daughter in an insistent manner, silently conveying the message that it was time for Phoebe to get back to her mare and get ready to leave before her father noticed she was spending too much time with the king.

Phoebe nodded in Thranduil's direction and left her mother with the king.

"Oropher, please say goodbye to the king."

"Goodbye!" the child sing-sang, ready to go back to his governess. He was obviously excited to be journeying back home. He pulled his hand out of his naneth's and ran to Sidhwen, pulling on Mithrellas' pony tail on his way. The little elleth retaliated by giving him a slap behind the head. She then sent a worried glance in Legolas' direction, but the captain of the Greenwood guard was ensuring that his own warriors were ready and he had not noticed the altercation. So young and she already knew about her special link with Legolas, just like Phoebe had known years ago.

"I am sorry, I wish my son had a little bit more to say to you," Valerie apologized for Oropher's behavior. The child was so impulsive and could not remain in one place for a long time.

"My adar was always an ellon of few words. Although... this constant and tiresome teasing of his sisters is quite out-of-character." Thranduil had never witnessed his adar being so carefree and such a tease.

"I believe I heard my daughter invite you for her birthday?" Valerie said, changing the subject.

"She did," Thranduil confirmed. Would the Lady and Lord of the Golden Flower rescind her invitation?

Valerie studied him for a while, until the silence between them became uncomfortable.

"I suggest that if you do visit us for the celebrations, you voice clear intentions towards my daughter. I know the... age difference is a concern of yours. If you wish for her to grow older before asking for her hand, I suggest you do not attend. Her disappointment would be extreme. And my mate's wrath... unpleasant to deal with. He is quite fierce when it comes to our children's happiness."

He had had a taste of Glorfindel's wrath during the evening of the captain's arrival. The Lord of the Golden Flower had remained in control, however his words had been insulting to Thranduil and his realm. The truth was, Glorfindel had not said anything that had not been completely true about the failings of his guard. The only thing that had silenced Phoebe's adar had been the description of the flaming eye Valerie had seen in Galadriel's mirror and its threats against Valerie.

"I will keep that in mind," he answered Valerie. Truthfully, Thranduil was still ambivalent. Greenwood would truly benefit if their queen was at least a few centuries older. But... could he wait that long? Now that he knew her, he doubted he could wait such a long time. His cold demeanor hid a volatile and passionate character. And he wanted her...

"My son and his warriors will travel with you until you have crossed the forest," he added, stating the obvious to change the subject again.

Understanding that she would not get more out of the king, Valerie turned her eyes in Legolas' direction. "I am grateful. I was dreading traveling on the forest road again. With your son and his warriors, I feel more confident that we will make it unscathed. Goodbye, your Majesty."

Valerie made sure that all her children were sitting on a horse in front of an adult, and accepted Glorfindel's help to mount her mare. She draped some cloths around her torso and gently wrapped little Turgon against her chest, a position that seemed to pacify the child.

Glorfindel was the last one to mount, making sure that all the people under his responsibility were ready to go. After one last nod to the king and his entourage, he gave the signal of departure and they were gone, Legolas and his warriors surrounding them.

Thranduil kept his eyes on Phoebe until he could no longer see her shiny red hair.

* * *

 _A/N: Do you think that Thranduil will go to Imladris to celebrate Phoebe's coming of age and state his claim, or will he wait longer for her to become more mature? Do you like that Turgon was the new elfling? There will be drama in the next chapters. Be ready!_

 _Ayanamifaerudo: I didn't think of the lost twins when I looked for a child that would secure the Imladris acceptance of the prophecy (like Oropher for Greenwood and Mithrellas for Dol Amroth). I thought of Turgon, who is Elrond's great-grandfather and a High King) while the twins were Elrond's uncles. It would have been a good idea, although probably not realistic that Valerie would have carried a third set of twins… there is only so much a woman can do! :-)_

 _glassary: Thranduil's confusion is only growing… Will he wait or will he ask for her hand within the year? Something will completely destroy all his plans… in the next chapter._

 _Fihunt: Glorfindel was not happy but I only mentioned his displeasure in passing. I imagine Glorfindel being too much of a gentleman too argue with Thranduil – but him detailing Greenwood's failings in a cold tone was probably worse for Thranduil, since he could not deny that he was at fault!_

 _Princessnera: As you can see, Glorfindel and Valerie were very eager to return to Imladris to resume their quiet life, much to Thranduil's disappointment! This will force him to make a decision about Phoebe without knowing her better…_

 _Maggie: I figured – children are always so eager to tell all the important stuff the minute they see their parents after being away from them for a long period of time! What a great way to put Thranduil under the spotlight within minutes of Glorfindel's arrival! Because he certainly would not have admitted all that to Glorfindel himself!_

 _Paperlanters86: Did you think of Turgon or was it a complete surprise?_

 _Aralinn: well, the Greenwood people didn't get to spend too much time with the family, Glorfindel was in a hurry to bring them back home to Imladris. But Phoebe and Thranduil could spend some time together, he got to know her better, but will it be enough to for him to decide to go to her birthday celebration in a year?_


	16. Chapter 16 - A Lost Bond

_Chapter 15 ended with:_

 _Glorfindel was the last one to mount, making sure that all the people under his responsibility were ready to go. After one last nod to the king and his entourage, he gave the signal of departure and they were gone, Legolas and his warriors surrounding them._

 _Thranduil kept his eyes on Phoebe until he could no longer see her shiny red hair._

 **Warning: Character death in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 16 – A Lost Bond**

 _Imladris, Year 2932 of the Third Age_

 _One year later_

Thranduil looked at his son, who was leading their warriors on the path to Imladris. They had unfortunately met a few bands of orcs and some of their warriors had been injured, although none seriously. They were now a few hours away from Elrond's valley, and he was looking forward to their arrival.

Everything had changed since his last visit to Imladris almost a millennia before. The mountain pass had been more difficult to climb for their horses, with more snow and a steeper ascend. The forest on the western side of the mountains had gained much ground, and seemed more menacing than he had remembered. It was a mild feeling of evil when compared to the darkness that had recently gained his own forest. But it still was worrisome. The fact that some evil spirit was spreading in the West was a concern that should be discussed with the other elven leaders of Middle Earth. This evil needed to be identified, and sooner rather than later.

They started hearing the sounds of a nearby battle a few hours later. Elven cries of war, shouts of angst coming out of orcish throats, sounds of metal clashing. Without hesitation, the Greenwood warriors sped up, racing to help Imladris against the orcs. They finally saw the skirmish from the top of a hill. The elves of Imladris seemed to be in control and only a few moments away from having dealt with the threat.

Thranduil looked for a familiar shade of red under the shining sun. The helmets worn by the warriors were not hiding their hair, and he quickly spotted two warriors that he immediately identified as Adam and Phoebe. Phoebe was on her horse and was slicing orc limbs and giving deadly blows all around her with her sword. She was trying to get nearer to her twin brother who had had the misfortune of losing his stallion. He was fighting on foot beside the dead body of his horse, surrounded by four orcs. Many other elves were converging in his direction, Glorfindel himself, and one of Elrond's sons, he could not tell which one from this distance.

He exchanged one look with Legolas, and they silently agreed to help. They rode down the hill and were soon joining Imladris in the fight, the orcs now panicking when they saw the reinforcements from Greenwood. They eliminated the orcs who were trying to escape while Imladris was finishing off the ones who were still courageous enough to fight.

Thranduil was still observing Phoebe, his eyes going back to her every now and then, and it was because of his attention that he saw the worst happen, a gut-wrenching vision that would never leave his mind, an event that would change his own life forever.

Adam was hit on the thigh by an orc's sword, before Phoebe finally reached him to kill the orcs that were surrounding him while Adam attempted to keep fighting the same orc who had hit him. But quickly he fell to his knees and it was Glorfindel who beheaded the orc who had dared hit his son. Phoebe and Glorfindel were watching Adam, still on their mounts, wondering why Adam was on his knees after such a small blow to the thigh, until he looked up at them, showing them his hands full of crimson blood.

That was when the reality hit them all violently. With vicious and lethal aim, the orc had successfully hit Adam's femoral artery. It was obvious by the sprays of blood that were coming out of his leg.

Glorfindel and Phoebe immediately dismounted and helped him lie down on the ground while the rest of the orcs were being finished off by the other warriors. Soon, everyone was surrounding the scene and Thranduil had to push a few warriors away to see Phoebe and her adar in the middle of the circle.

The sight was heartbreaking. Glorfindel was valiantly trying to stop the blood from escaping his son's body with the help of Elrohir, whom Thranduil could now identify. Their hands in the gruesome wound, they were trying to pinch the artery but their expressions were very telling. Even if they were able to stop the blood, they would not make it back to Imladris, which was still at least two hours away. They had nothing to perform a surgery in the middle of the valley, and their efforts were in vain. Phoebe had not realized it. She was caressing her twin brother's face, encouraging him to remain awake, talking to him, kissing his face.

"Stay with us, Adam," she was asking him. "We will bring you back home and Lord Elrond and Aunt Allison will take care of your wound."

Did she not see how pale and hollow he already was? How unresponsive?

Elrohir sat back on his heels, putting a bloodied hand on Glorfindel's shoulder. His silent message was clear, but Glorfindel pushed his hand away. He would not stop his efforts, he could not face the consequences of Adam's disappearance.

"Phoebe..." the dying ellon murmured painfully. "Phoebe... Tell Mommy... I love her. The children..."

"No!" Phoebe cried. "No! You will tell them yourself!"

"Protect them..."

Phoebe cried her anguish.

"Promise..." Adam insisted, exhausted.

"I promise, I promise," Phoebe sobbed.

Elrohir shook Glorfindel. "You have to say goodbye," he told the father of the elf soon to join the Halls of Mandos.

Glorfindel watched desperately the exchange between the twins, understanding that there was little time left. Despite his attempts at stopping the blood flow, the earth around them was soaked with blood, and so were Adam's clothes and Glorfindel himself. Blood, blood everywhere, the blood that was leaving his son's body, taking his life with him.

On his knees, he moved to Adam's head while Elrohir was trying to prolong Adam's life long enough for his father to speak to him.

"My son," he said, taking his son's face in his hands, leaving crimson liquid on his cheeks, but disregarding it. "I love you. You will come back to us. We will wait for you."

"No!" Phoebe's howl must have been heard miles away.

"Father... scared," Adam murmured, searching his father's face as if he was now losing his sight.

"Do not be. Lord Namo will be good to you. He will take good care of you until you are ready to join us again. I have been there before," he reminded Adam.

Thranduil and all the elves were watching the scene, unable to speak, unable to look elsewhere, their fëar devastated to see such a young soul, just a few days away from his majority, being called back to the Halls of Mandos. The despair of the ellon's adar and sister was distressing, but he suspected that it was one thing to watch it, and quite another to be in their place. Losing Legolas would make him lose his sanity, that he knew for sure.

Glorfindel could not believe what was happening. How could he have failed so badly? The regret he felt each time he lost a warrior had always been excruciating. But his own son? The guilt he had always felt in the past was nothing. He felt like his heart was being ripped from his body. He pushed his emotions away, knowing that his son needed him to help him go through this. There would be time for his grief later.

He caressed his son's forehead, telling him to close his eyes, knowing he would never forget the emerald of Adam's orbs. He told him that he loved him, while Phoebe's sobs were almost covering his voice. He took Phoebe's hand in his, trying to give her some strength. She understood his message, and tried to control her cries.

Adam died peacefully in their arms, a small smile on his pale lips.

The instant his fëa was gone, Phoebe started howling in pain, scratching her face with her nails.

Glorfindel did not help her. He just sat there, the shock finally hitting him. His elder son was dead. Twelve years. That was all that he had been given with Adam since he had brought him to Middle Earth. Could this have been avoided if he had not trained Adam to become a warrior? If they had ignored the prophecy? Suddenly, he realized that the worst was still to come. He had to tell Valerie that her son was dead. That he had miserably failed both as a father and as a captain. That he had not deserved to be her mate. Maybe if she had mated with Legolas or Haldir, Adam would still be alive.

He watched his hands, full of blood. His son's blood. He felt something in his chest, something he did not understand. With the pain in his chest, something was coming up. He was howling his agony before he realized it was his own voice resonating loud and clear in the valley, and he hit the ground multiple times with his bloody fists.

Seeing her father lose his usual absolute control made Phoebe cry even louder. She had lost her brother and now, the person who had always been her reference point, her rock in the storms, was no longer there to support her. Elrohir caught her in his arms, and she cried, cried her anguish.

"I cannot feel him anymore! I feel like my soul has been ripped in two! Help me, Elrohir, help him! Bring him back! I beg you to bring my brother back!"

All the witnesses were watching in shock, many elves from Imladris not bothering to hide their tears. Adam had started training with them at a young age, he had been like a son to many of them. And Phoebe was the same. If they had had reservations about her presence on the training grounds or in battle originally, these reservations were long gone. And now, they were watching the young elleth, understanding that she was suffering as much as a fëa-mate losing their mate, so strong had the bond been between two twins.

"I cannot, sweetie, I cannot," the son of Elrond whispered, rocking Phoebe and trying to contain her violent movements to get back to her brother's lifeless body.

"I cannot breathe! He is gone! I cannot feel him!" A panic attack was on the way, and there was nothing Elrohir could do to stop it. She had lost so much, was experiencing a pain in her soul that was almost physical, a suffering the likes he prayed to never feel between him and his mate Allison or with his own twin brother Elladan.

Helpless in providing her any kind of comfort, he turned to her adar. "Glorfindel!" Elrohir called. "Glorfindel! You still have a daughter! Help her! Help me, she is unwell!"

Thranduil was quite ready to help take care of Phoebe, but was firmly held back by Legolas. His son silently shook his head, making him realize how inappropriate his intervention would look like. No one knew of the bond he shared with Phoebe, except Phoebe's family. It was killing him to see her in such distress, such agony, and not to be able to help her. She needed him now, he was the only one she had left with whom she could share a bond. The king decided to give Glorfindel a minute to shake himself before he threw caution to the wind and took the elleth in his arms to give her some much needed comfort.

But Glorfindel had heard Elrohir through his grief, and he looked up at his daughter and saw her panic, her misery, and opened his bloodied arms where Elrohir deposited Phoebe who was still struggling for breath.

"Breathe, sweetie, breathe."

"I cannot! He is gone, Ada, he is gone!"

"I know."

"I will fade! I will die!" she sobbed.

"You will not die!" Glorfindel insisted forcefully. "I will not let you die!"

"I will fade, I cannot live without my twin! Why? Why him? Why us? Why have we been punished?"

"I do not know," Glorfindel admitted. "But you have done nothing wrong. This is no punishment! The ways of the Valar are mysterious, but we must trust that they know what they are doing."

The words were burning Glorfindel's throat. As much as he wanted to believe his own words, he found that he was tempted to deny his faith in the gods. Phoebe's questions were at the forefront of his mind, wondering what Adam could have done to deserve such a cruel destiny. He could not think of anything. He had been too young to do anything that would have enraged the Valar. But then who? Who in his family had insulted the gods to the point of deserving to lose Adam as a punishment?

He kept his doubts to himself. Phoebe had stopped screaming and simply lay against his chest. He closed his eyes and rocked her like Elrohir had done before, kissing her temple every now and then, showing similar signs of overwhelming grief. He had stopped talking. He was just moving back and forth, his eyes empty, his face expressionless. But it seemed to be enough for Phoebe, who was now able to breathe.

Everyone around sighed, knowing it was now time to come back to the harsh reality. They had lost a warrior, one that was not even an adult yet. This day was one of the darkest Imladris had ever experienced, and would remain forever in their collective memories as the day where all warriors had failed to protect the life of one who was still technically an elfling.

Elrohir wiped his bloodied hands with a cloth. He murmured a few orders and all the warriors started gathering the orcs' bodies lying around them to burn them quickly. They needed to be back in Imladris as soon as possible so their lord could take care of the lost elleth who would not easily recover from her brother's passing.

Elrohir walked to Thranduil and Legolas, thanking them quietly for their help during the battle.

"We will build a stretcher to carry... the captain's son," Legolas offered. It was the least they could do.

"It would be appreciated. Dark times are ahead of us. Imladris was about to have a big celebration for their coming of age. And instead, we will have... a funeral."

"You have lived through worse," Thranduil tried to delicately remark. Elrohir's own mother had suffered greatly at the hands of orcs, tortured for days before her sons found her. Elrond had never been able to cure her and she had sailed to Valinor where she was waiting for them all to join her.

"Not quite, my Lord, not quite. You may think that it may have been best for my naneth to die quickly and be reborn peacefully in Valinor rather than be tortured for days. It may have been easier for her. But a sojourn in the Halls can sometimes last what seems like an eternity. At least we know she is alive, waiting for us. As for my nephew... it is a different story. We all hope that the half-elven folks go to the Halls of Mandos, but we are not sure. Will Adam's fëa go to the place where the souls of the mortals go after their death, or to the Halls with the elves? Glorfindel was trying to reassure his son, but it truly is a question that we have no answer for."

Elrohir left them, leaving behind him a completely stricken king of Greenwood. Thranduil had never imagined that Phoebe could die and never be reborn. How could Glorfindel live with this uncertainty? How could he have allowed Valerie to travel in Middle Earth the year before if he did not even know what were the consequences of her passing? How could he even let her out of their home and risk her life?

"Her life is even more precious then," Legolas murmured only for him to hear. "She must be protected at all cost. She cannot be allowed to fight like this anymore."

Thranduil nodded. As soon as Phoebe was his to call, her protection would become the responsibility of every living soul in Greenwood. Ellyn and ellith alike, whatever their profession, would be expected to protect her against any kind of harm. He would never take the risk of seeing her die like her brother.

OoOoO

"Turgon, say _Nana_. Na-na," Valerie repeated with patience.

The elfling was opening wide his little mouth, waiting for a spoonful of his favorite strawberry puree. He extended his little hand in her direction, trying to grab the elusive spoon full of the delicious food. He grunted unhappily when he realized his arm was too short to grab the spoon and that she did not put the spoon in his mouth either.

"You are a stubborn little ellon, aren't you? You are determined not to say a word?"

Turgon tried to catch the spoon again. "Oh fine!" Valerie sighed, finally giving in. Her son gave her a smile with exactly four teeth after she put the puree in his mouth. "You have me wrapped around your little finger, don't you?"

She slowly caressed his dark, silky hair. "Turgon, my little love!" She gave him a quick hug, needing the affection desperately. She could not shake off the strong feeling that something very wrong had happened. She felt that Glorfindel was not doing well at all. Maybe he had been injured? Maybe many warriors had been injured? She had never felt such strong despair through their bond. She quickly prayed the Valar that no warriors had reached the Halls of Mandos that day.

"Valerie?" a soft voice called, disrupting Turgon's meal.

"Yes, Arwen?" Valerie smiled to her friend, who had finally come back from her extended stay in Lothlorien in order to attend the celebrations organized for Adam and Phoebe's coming of age.

"A scout arrived, saying that there has been a battle early this morning. He also said that a delegation from Greenwood had arrived during the battle. The Elvenking himself is coming to Imladris. I do not recall ever seeing him here," she continued pensively.

"Is the messenger the bearer of ill news?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Glorfindel has been troubled all day. I thought…"

"Well, now that you mention it, the scout asked to speak to my adar privately, which I did not think was strange at the time. But it makes me wonder -"

"Do you think that Glorfindel was grievously injured and that the messenger was informing your father?" Valerie cut, her worry significantly growing within seconds.

"They are supposed to arrive before sundown. We will know then."

"No, I cannot wait until sundown, it is hours away! Can you please keep an eye on Turgon while I go see your adar in his study?"

"Euh… I never really fed such a young elfling."

"It is only a bit of strawberry puree, I am sure you can manage. Be nice with Arwen," she asked her child, and she left almost running to Elrond's study.

Arwen sat in Valerie's chair and observed Turgon, who was watching her back with curiosity. He had seen this dark-haired elleth a few times before, but never had he been left alone under her care. However, it seemed that the elleth had no idea that he was hungry. He pointed the spoon but she did not seem to understand what he wanted.

"Nana!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. At least his nana was feeding him properly. Where had she gone, leaving him with this elleth who did not take care of him properly?

His yell awakened Arwen from her stupor, and she gave him a spoonful of puree, which he accepted with a grunt of satisfaction. The small bowl was empty very quickly.

"More!" he asked Arwen.

"I recall your naneth telling me that you were not speaking yet. Have you been hiding things, you cute little hypocrite?"

Turgon grabbed the bowl and threw it against the wall. Arwen promised herself to never have elflings. She was not made to take care of children, unlike Valerie, who seemed to love them tremendously despite their occasional bad behaviors.

Valerie had reached Elrond's study when the messenger came out and closed the door behind him. He gave her a brief nod and left the hallway in a hurry. Valerie could not shake the feeling that the ellon was glad to have escaped a potential interrogation by his captain's mate.

She knocked on her lord's door and waited for him to give her permission to enter. She had to knock a second time before she heard his voice allowing whoever it was to enter. When she opened the door, she saw Elrond sitting behind his desk, his face hidden behind his hands.

"My Lord, I heard there has been some news from our warriors?"

Elrond removed his hands from his face and sighed heavily. "Do sit down, Valerie. I need to talk to you."

"Is it Glorfindel? All day, I felt something wrong in his fëa."

"It is not Glorfindel. I must insist that you sit down."

Valerie obeyed his command and watched him as he poured some of his most potent liqueur into two glasses. She had known Elrond for twelve years, and never had he needed to offer her alcohol before speaking to her. Something was very wrong. He deposited a glass in front of her and drank his in one shot, imperceptibly wincing at the strength of the alcohol.

"Something happened to one of my children," she declared. It was not even a question. Elrond's entire attitude was showing great signs of grief, and unless something had happened to a family member, he would not have offered her a drink.

"Drink!" he commanded, but she refused. Alcohol had never helped her in any situation. If Adam or Phoebe had been hurt, she needed to have all her head to take care of them. But once again, he would not have asked her to drink if he knew one of her children needed medical attention and her presence. No. It meant that whatever had happened, she could not help them anymore. The only logic reason was that one of her children had passed to the Halls of Mandos.

She slowly stood from her chair, her glass still full. "Who?" she simply asked, her face pale and her eyes haunted.

Elrond sighed heavily again. He could not deny that Valerie was one of the cleverest ellith he had ever met. He wished she was less intelligent, and that he would have been able to introduce the subject more delicately. But once again, Valerie was pushing him at her own, fast pace.

"Valerie -" he started.

"Who?" she bellowed, punching his desk hard with her fist.

"Adam."

Valerie felt her legs go weak. So she had been right, she had lost her oldest son. Until the very last second, she had hoped to hear Elrond's denial. But it was not coming. She sat back in her chair.

"How?"

"During a skirmish with orcs. A blade cut the femoral artery, in his thigh. He… He bled to death on the battlefield."

Valerie could picture the scene all too well. Adam lying on the ground, bleeding, and Phoebe screaming beside him, and Glorfindel…

She jumped to her feet, loud sobs escaping her throat. She ran to the healing halls where she quickly located Allison, the only person she could cry with at the moment. The grief was too great, only her sister could help her through this.

Hours later, when the warriors finally crossed the gate, all the citizens of Imladris were waiting on the stairs of the Last Homely House, all dressed in black to show their support to the captain and his family. Singers were interpreting a song full of sorrow, describing the short but full life of Adam Glorfindelion.

The two governesses were standing near the elflings to ensure they would not disrupt the proceedings. Although Nimrodel and Mithrellas understood the concept of death, the idea that Adam would never play with them anymore had not registered yet in their 11-years old minds. Oropher, at 6, had absolutely no idea what death meant and was wondering why everyone was so sad around him. He wanted to go play with his cousin Elrinor instead of standing in the middle of a group of people crying. He started speaking to his older cousin when Sidhwen hushed him quickly.

In the front of the group stood Valerie, supported by Elrond himself, and Allison, who was supported by her brother-in-law Elladan. The two sisters had spent the entire afternoon consoling each other, crying for a long time until no more tears could be shed. Elrond suspected that their tears would start anew very shortly, once facing Adam's lifeless body.

Four warriors entered by the gate, carrying a stretcher with a dark blue cloak entirely covering the body. Behind the stretcher, Glorfindel slowly dismounted his stallion, and then helped Phoebe dismount too, before he lifted her in his arms. Glorfindel looked terrible, immense sorrow present in his eyes. But Phoebe was obviously in shock. She was just staring ahead, her face completely expressionless. Elrohir, the king of Greenwood and his son were following with discretion and grief in the case of Elrohir, who had lost a nephew that day.

As in a nightmare, Valerie slowly walked in the direction of the stretcher, ignoring the calls of the people around her. She lifted the part of the cloak that covered the head of the fallen warrior, and could only accept the truth now, in front of the ultimate proof. Her firstborn son was dead.

A wail of despair escaped her lips when she removed the cloak completely and saw the gruesome cut on his leg. His skin was horribly pale, his body completely emptied of blood. The warriors put the stretcher on the ground, and kneeling beside it, Valerie grabbed her son's body, crying and screaming her pain for all to hear.

Elrond had gone to Glorfindel and asked two warriors to bring Phoebe to the healing rooms. Allison followed them after smiling sadly to her mate Elrohir. Glorfindel let them go, knowing he could not do anything for Phoebe at this point. But he could help his mate cope with her grief. He turned to Valerie, but she gave him such a nasty look that he backed away quickly.

"He was under your care," she told him in a cold, accusing tone. "It was your responsibility to ensure his protection at all times. You have failed. You failed us all! You failed our entire family!"

Her accusations were heard by everyone, even their younger children. The twin girls were sobbing loudly now, and the governesses brought them to their rooms along with Turgon. Oropher escaped their vigilance and showed up beside Valerie, watching Adam with curiosity. He gently touched his brother's face and removed his hand when he felt how cold Adam's body was.

"Adam? Wake up. I want to show you the drawing of your horse. Nana says it is very resembling. Adam?" he insisted when he didn't get an answer.

"Adam cannot hear you anymore," Valerie delicately told him. And before she could stop the words, she added: "And it is your adar's fault."

Glorfindel watched her with disbelief while Oropher turned a questioning gaze in his direction. His young mind could not understand the words pronounced by his naneth. Their father loved them all very much. He had no favorites, and he would certainly not hurt them, did he?

Glorfindel left the scene without answering the insane accusation. Oropher tried to follow him, but Arwen took his hand and literally pulled him back to his room, where she explained to the elfling that her naneth's grief was so great that she could not think properly. Of course, his adar had not killed Adam! Yes, her naneth would forgive him! No, Adam was not asleep. His fëa had left his body, never to come back. No, Adam would never play with him again. Arwen did her best to soothe the elfling, but with very little success. Oropher needed his naneth or his adar, but neither of them was available to lessen his anxiety.

Near the entrance of the manor, Erestor was still trying to convince Valerie to give them back the body so they could prepare it for his funeral to be held within two days. She refused at first, wanting to keep Adam all to herself.

"Valerie, all his brothers-in-arms will want to pay him their final respects. Citizens of Imladris who loved him also need closure. Your family too. The entire realm is in mourning, not just you."

"I just want to be alone with him a little more. Is that too much to ask?" she asked harshly, her voice broken from all the crying and screaming.

"No, this is fair. Maybe we can bring his body to a private room instead of leaving it here on the ground, right in front of the stairs?"

"You are right, he will be cold if we leave him to lie on the ground."

Satisfied with his small victory, Erestor did not question Valerie's last statement. He knew grieving parents did not always have the clearest of minds. He gave instructions to the warriors about Adam's body, and made sure that all their guests from Greenwood would be properly lodged.

"King Thranduil, Prince Legolas, it is an honor to have you here. I wish it had been under more joyful circumstances."

"We were visiting for the coming-of-age celebration of Adam and Phoebe, but now that it will be cancelled -" Erestor confirmed this with a nod, "then we will remain here until Glorfindel's son is buried." The king was not going back to Greenwood when Phoebe's family had just experienced the worst tragedy possible.

Erestor asked a servant to bring their guests to their rooms and continued the organization of the funeral.

OoOoO

Valerie had been kneeling beside her son's body for hours. The tears had stopped, but the shock had remained. She could not believe Adam was gone. He was so young! Why, oh why had she asked for him to be brought to Imladris? If she had left her children in her world, to be raised by Allison, Adam would still be alive. Her own selfishness was the cause of his passing. It was unlikely that he would have died so young in her world, had he not been exposed to battles and the horrible and violent creatures that plagued Middle Earth.

Adam's hands were holding his sword on his armored chest, his helmet and bow beside him. His elven sword, his most precious possession. How he had liked to fight with it! She put her hand on his, and started when she felt how cold and stiff his body now was. It was her first contact with the remains of a deceased. Why had it to be her own beloved son? She kept her hand on his, hoping to give him some of her warmth. She attentively observed his face, knowing the memories of his features would fade away with time. The elves who had prepared him had somehow successfully given him a peaceful expression. Was he at peace? Where was his fëa? Was it in a place where he could see her from above? Or was he is the Halls of Mandos, under the care of the Vala Namo? Was he the youngest elf in the Halls? Why did he have to die so young? Why him? Being given the choice by the Valar, she would have gladly given her life to spare her son's. And she was pretty sure Glorfindel would have made the same choice without hesitation.

Poor Glorfindel. He had not come anywhere near her since their arrival. He probably had felt all through the night the bitter anger she felt towards him. She had to apologize to him. She knew she had said something terrible to him, although she could not quite recall what that was. But she was pretty sure she had told Adam's adoptive father that he had been the cause of his son's death. While the fault was ultimately all hers. Had he remained in her world, he would still be breathing, that was a certain fact.

Phoebe eventually joined her, and they both knelt beside the podium where Adam's body was lying. Neither talked, for there was nothing to say that could make this situation any better. Around them but respecting their grieving process, many elves had come and gone to see Adam. Dawn came, the morning passed, and eventually, Valerie remembered that she still had other elflings to take care of. Children who needed her support. She had to tame her grief, and allow life to go on even if she felt dead inside.

She put a comforting hand on Phoebe's shoulder before leaving her alone. She went to her apartment and heard little voices in the elflings' rooms. She joined them and did not realize that as soon as she was out of sight, Glorfindel came out of their bedroom and left the apartment.

Glorfindel joined Phoebe, and until the funeral that evening, neither of them moved nor talked.

Adam was buried in the small cemetery of Imladris during a heartbreaking ceremony that had been organized by Erestor and Arwen. They had left a bench near the grave, and Phoebe and Glorfindel just sat there for at least two days without eating or sleeping.

Valerie decided to remind them that they had a family that needed them to recover. She showed up in the cemetery with all her elflings, and they went to gather around Glorfindel, asking him to come back home, that they wanted to be with him. Glorfindel looked at Valerie, wondering if she shared their wishes.

She sat beside him, Turgon in her arms, and took his hand. He stiffened but Valerie did not even realize it. Finding the words were difficult. How does a grieving parent support the other grieving parent? She understood why many couples who had lost a child ended up splitting. There were no words of comfort possible.

"I sincerely apologize for my harsh words. I was… blinded by grief, and I was looking for someone to blame for Adam's fate. You were the first person near Adam… I know you can understand."

He nodded.

"If you do not wish to come home because of me, please do it for the children that remain with us. They need you. And... so do I." Valerie was not looking at him but was staring at the fresh mound of earth that covered her son.

Glorfindel observed Valerie for a long time, obviously not convinced that she needed him. But ultimately, it was the sight of Oropher, Mithrellas and Nimrodel silently crying near them that made him go back to their apartment. He took Turgon from Valerie's arms and followed them while Valerie remained with Phoebe. She was, after all, in even more need of attention than her younger siblings. Of all their children, she was the only one who truly understood the permanence of his departure.

For hours, they just sat there, all of Valerie's attempts at making conversation with Phoebe failing miserably. She decided to turn to the only person who may be able to pull Phoebe back with the living. Another day and she would probably be good for the healing halls, following days of sleep deprivation and starvation.

The king graciously accepted to spend time with Phoebe. In fact, he had been waiting for the opportunity to spend time with the elleth, but her family was always there with her.

He found her near her brother's grave, pale and sickly looking, exhausted from the lack of food and sleep. He sat beside her on the bench and waited for her to acknowledge his presence. She did not, as Valerie had predicted. After an hour, he decided to attempt talking to her and see if she would respond. He was not going to express his condolences. They all had done it, and quite frankly, that had not seemed to help anyone in the Golden Flower family. Phoebe needed to understand that the death of her twin meant that she was going to fade. But she still had other options to avoid this.

"What happened was a tragedy. What makes it worse is that it could have been avoided. Many warriors, your adar included, will spend the next centuries thinking about what they could have done differently to avoid Adam's passing."

Phoebe kept staring straight ahead, showing no signs of even having heard him.

"But all these people will overcome their grief, continue their lives and take better care of their loved ones. If anything, it will make them appreciate what they have, understanding that it could be taken away by the Valar at any time."

Phoebe snorted, but still did not look at him. He waited for her to tell him what she thought was funny in what he had said, but she did not bother to explain her reaction.

"You do not believe my words?" he eventually asked.

She remained silent.

"I am talking to you. I would appreciate if you answer me when I ask a question."

Still no reaction.

"I am King of Greenwood, if anything, you should be civil with me. Maybe your family accepts your impolite behavior, but I do not."

She turned her head in his direction for the first time, and he saw an incredible amount of anger in her murderous eyes. "I have not asked for your annoying presence. You are more than welcome to go back to your realm."

"I was invited for your coming-of-age celebration."

"In case you have not noticed, there will be no celebration here. You can go back home, where some people may or may not wish for your presence. As for me, I only want to be left alone in peace. I am attempting to survive without half of my fëa, and I am failing miserably. I wish that you would leave me alone, and stop giving me your unwanted advice and philosophy."

So she realized that she would fade soon after all. "Do you truly think that this is the end of you? That there are no other ways to remain alive?"

She turned her eyes back to Adam's grave and started ignoring him again.

"It does not need to be the end of your life. People have survived terrible tragedies and have acquired more wisdom for it. There are solutions!"

"Your wife was not even your fëa-mate," she spat angrily. "Please spare me the description of your personal tragedy. It is nothing compared to losing your twin."

"Although my wife was not my fëa-mate, she still was Legolas' mother and her passing had great consequences for our family and our realm. But you are right, the suffering I experienced back then cannot match what you are feeling today. But…"

He stopped talking, realizing he had been about to confide one of his most painful memories while it was too early in their relationship. He had been planning to let her know after their bonding, not before. It was so horrific… He hoped that she had not listened too closely to his words.

"But what? You were about to say something." She had been listening after all.

"It was nothing of importance."

Phoebe had heard rumors about Thranduil. Rumors about a gruesome injury that should have been fatal. A dragon had been involved. Elrond had avoided answering direct questions about it, and she suspected that he had little more information than she had. Thranduil was a difficult ellon, always in a dark mood, and he was keeping everyone at a distance, as if he did not want people to get to know him. And she seemed to be included in the people that were not going to get to know him very well. Did he truly expect her to accept a bonding where she would be kept in the dark, where he would share information when and how he wanted, keeping her dependent of his moods? She wanted a relationship where she would be his equal, where he would not be a dominating mate and she a submissive one. It would be a challenge because of their age difference, and it would only be worse if he did not share crucial information with her.

"How can you expect us to share anything, to help me through my grief, if there is no trust between us? Since I first saw you as a child, I have thought that we were destined for each other. But what we seem to have is not enough, will never be enough for me. Not sufficient for me to want to remain in Middle Earth while the only person who could share my fëa is no longer alive."

"That is not true. We are fëa-mates, I am certain of that. Our bond can replace what you had with Adam, and your fëa will feel complete again. We can bind ourselves to each other and share a link that will be greater than what you had with your brother!"

"I am not interested in a bond where I will not be your equal. I want to know everything about you. I want to understand how you think, why you are making certain decisions, I want to be able to support you as much as you will support me. Anything short of that… I do not want it."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me if the rumors are true."

Thranduil imperceptibly flinched, but was not quick enough to hide his reaction from her. "Rumors? What rumors? You know I have no time to waste on rumors. They have no interest for me and my people. We work with facts. Always."

"You know exactly which rumors I am talking about. Since you are so fond of facts, I am sure you will understand my need to know the facts that these rumors are originating from."

He held her gaze, frowning with bitter disappointment. He suddenly stood and started pacing in front of her, his robes flowing around him each time he turned around. Phoebe thought he would have been a great actor, if he had not been a king. But truly, what was a king if not an actor on a perpetual show for his people and his enemies? Did they not only drop their mask and all pretense once they were alone with their loved ones?

Thranduil eventually sat back down stiffly, still staring at her. When he saw that she had been unmoved by his little show of anger, he sighed heavily. "I did not realize people were still talking about it."

"I have only heard two elves mention it, and they did not know I was listening. They had no information to substantiate the rumors. But I want to know. If you are not telling me now… Then it will be farewell for us. Whatever you have to offer would not be enough to make me want to live without Adam."

Phoebe turned her gaze away and started staring again at her brother's grave, as if she was wishing to be sucked into it and join her beloved twin wherever his fëa currently was.

"Why are people still talking about me?" the Elvenking asked to no one in particular.

"You do not live a discreet life."

"I remained in my realm for centuries, only leaving it when your naneth arrived from your world and had to find a mate. You cannot accuse me of making a show of myself!"

"But when people see you, they never forget you. You make such a great impression on people, with your coldness, your sarcastic replies and your handsomeness... People talk about you, tales are exaggerated, and you have slowly become a living legend," she said without even looking at him, as if she was simply thinking out loud.

He pondered her words for a long time. She was only confirming his suspicions. He would never be left alone. There would be rumors. Always. About Legolas' naneth, about his battles, about Phoebe, and last but not least, about his injury. He did not know how he had thought he could secure his relationship with Phoebe, bind himself to her while not telling her about his injury. She deserved to know what she was getting herself into - that by binding with him, she was binding herself to a monster.

"Yes, I was injured," he finally admitted after much hesitation. "I do not like to talk about it. This is by far... the worst memories I have. I would ask that we do not speak of it ever again after this conversation."

Phoebe nodded her head in agreement, but knew full well that it would not be their last conversation on this topic. He was gullible if he believed her.

"I have heard of a dragon. Is that true?" she asked to force him to start.

"Yes. During the Second Age, the great serpents were attempting to invade many territories in order to gain riches. They particularly love gold and gems."

"A dragon lives in the Lonely Mountain. He destroyed Dale and kicked the dwarves out of their home. Was it the same...?"

"No. It was during the previous age. I was not king then, only a prince. There was a battle, desperate quite frankly, between the serpents and the elves of Greenwood." Elbows on his knees, his face hidden in his hands, Thranduil looked distressed, but he kept talking, although with obvious difficulty. "We did not stand a chance. I fought until the end, hoping that some of my warriors would escape while I was keeping one of the dragons busy. He was teasing me, telling me he would roast me like a pig..."

"They talk?" Phoebe interrupted.

"Of course they do, why would they not?" Thranduil asked angrily, lost in his horrible memories. She did not know if he was angry because she was forcing him to relive the events, or because she had interrupted him. "Unfortunately, I grossly miscalculated one of its moves."

"What happened then?" she asked after long moments of silence.

"He roasted me like a pig, as he had promised."

She stared at him, but he was still hiding his face. "But you recovered?"

"Very few of my warriors survived. The ones who did live brought me back to the fortress, more dead than alive. I do not recall the journey back, I must have been unconscious. Valar, how I wished I had died after I woke up! I could feel the excruciating agony in my very bones, and in whatever was left of my flesh and skin... I was begging my adar to kill me, crying for his mercy incessantly! But he never did. He never had the courage to end my pain."

"I think he has shown great courage not to have granted your request. After all, you are here, perfectly recovered."

"Recovered?" he spat. "No one recovers from the burn from a dragon, Phoebe. No one."

"I can understand if you have not quite recovered mentally," she started, "but physically..."

"There is no possible recovery from a dragon burn," he repeated darkly while eying her seriously.

"But..." she said, at a loss about his meaning, pointing at his perfect face and body.

"Magic. Saruman has shown me how to hide my injuries."

"Can you stop the enchantment?"

"Why would I do that?" he snorted. "To scare little elflings and their naneths? Believe me, even the strongest of warriors would run away if they saw me."

"No! I did not mean it that way! I am sorry... Does it... Does it hurt? Under the magic?"

"Yes. Some dull, constant pain now. It is... manageable."

"Can I see?"

"Are you out of your mind?" he cried, standing up to face her, his beautiful face terrifying in his anger.

"Well... Did you show your first wife?" she asked with a hint of jealousy.

"My wife?" he repeated incredulously. "My wife? I have not shown my injuries to anyone since Saruman helped me conceal them! My own beloved son has ever seen them!"

"I am sorry," she repeated, knowing she had made a grievous mistake.

"All I wanted to tell you is that one can recover from the worst. You lost your twin, and you feel like this is the end of your world, just like I thought while my skin and muscles were literally melting under the evil fire of the dragon. But here I am, still standing against all odds, like you will still be standing in millennia from now, thinking back at your current desire to die as foolish. All you need is a reason to live, a channel through which you can direct your anger, your pain. Find it, and you will start your recovery."

He turned his back on her and left the cemetery, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She thought of him, of the terrible story he had told her, she thought of her brother and of the despicable creatures who had killed him. Thranduil had never been able to slay a dragon as a vengeance. But Phoebe could slay orcs. She could avenge her brother, satisfy her need for orc bloodshed.

And she knew exactly who to seek for help in this endeavor. In the past, Elladan and Elrohir had spent decades tracking and slaughtering orcs to avenge their naneth. Elrohir would remain in Imladris with his wife and son, however Elladan would not refuse to become her companion in her quest for revenge.

And so the next morning, despite Valerie's desperate attempts to convince them to stay, Phoebe and Elladan left Imladris, and did not set foot in Elrond's realm for a long time. Thranduil had watched them leave, satisfied that she had shaken herself out of her despair, but quite disappointed that she had channeled her anger into killing orcs rather than more simply binding with him. Regardless, he would be there for her once her need for orc blood would abate.

* * *

 _/N: I know the passing of Adam will certainly not be a popular twist in the story. Rest assured that not all bad will result from these events. Valerie's family will recover, and they all hope that Adam will be reborn one day. As for Thranduil, I decided to follow Peter Jackson's idea about him being permanently injured by a dragon burn. It would explain his unpleasant character! In the next chapter, Valerie's family finally welcomes that mortal man she had seen in Galadriel's mirror… and Phoebe and Thranduil's paths cross again!_

 _Ayanamifaerudo: in the end, Thranduil had decided to go ask for Phoebe's hand… but all went wrong and they will have to wait until Phoebe recovers... We are about 9 years away from the start of The Hobbit, which will be in chapter 18._

 _glassary: your prediction was right, Thranduil was no longer willing to wait. But at least, the truth is out about him, which is a good thing if you want to bind with your fëa-mate!_

 _Maggie: there will be time jumps in the next chapters, to bring us to the timeline of The Hobbit. A little less than a decade._

 _Princessnera: After months apart, Glorfindel and Valerie couldn't get enough of each other before she gave birth (and even after)! Yes, Thranduil did go to Imladris, hopefully it was not in vain…_

 _Lacrea Moonlight: I didn't know that. Thanks for letting me know!_

 _Ndavis77: thank you! When I write, I try to see events through the eyes of each of the characters in all their complexity. I don't really like stories in which difficult characters like Thranduil suddenly become all nice and sweet because they fell in love. I don't believe love changes your core being overnight…_

 _Paperlanterns86: when I decided which king would be reborn, I looked for an elf that would be dear to Glorfindel – Turgon came to mind. His story is interesting! And Thranduil will have to wait a little longer before he can have Phoebe…_


	17. Chapter 17 - Estel

_Chapter 16 ended with:_

 _And so the next morning, despite Valerie's desperate attempts to convince them to stay, Phoebe and Elladan left Imladris, and did not set foot in Elrond's realm for a long time. Thranduil had watched them leave, satisfied that she had shaken herself out of her despair, but quite disappointed that she had channeled her anger into killing orcs rather than more simply binding with him. Regardless, he would be there for her once her need for orc blood would abate._

 **A/N: there are 2 time jumps in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 17 - Estel**

 _Imladris, Year 2933 of the Third Age_

 _One year later_

Arwen's anguished voice could be heard by all the elves who currently were in the manor.

"I have to leave, Valerie! I am sorry, I cannot stay! I loved Arathorn with all my heart, he was raised here, I spent days teaching him how to read, playing with him... I cannot believe he is dead! His son Aragorn is only 2! He will never know his father!"

"Aragorn will need you to tell him about his father, about his childhood," Valerie pleaded.

"No! I do not want to see him. I do not want to get attached to him, and see him die like his poor father. I have told my adar that I will no longer be involved in the upbringing of one of the descendants of his brother Elros."

Valerie could understand Arwen's point of view, but she was sad to see that Arwen would spent many decades in Lothlorien again. Valerie had arrived in Imladris 13 years before, and she had barely spent 3 years with her friend during that time.

"We will write to each other," Arwen promised as she was quickly throwing clothes into a few open trunks without even folding them.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Valerie asked. "Surely, you can show your respect to Arathorn's widow and his son before you leave?"

"No, I do not want to see them! I have to leave immediately, before their escort arrives here."

Valerie knew that Arwen was being irrational about all this. Yes, she had been very close to Arathorn, and his death at the hands of orcs had greatly affected her. The fact that he had only known four years of happiness with his wife was heartbreaking. It had also been, for all of Imladris, a reminder of the loss they had suffered a year before, when Adam had also been killed by orcs a few days before his 18th birthday. Two lives, ended while they had a great future ahead of them... Despite the emotional pain, Arwen could have stayed a few weeks and spent time with Gilraen and her son Aragorn. Her hurry to leave was unexplainable, but Valerie would not fight it. The fact that they were about to welcome a grieving widow and orphan in the Last Homely House while her own family was still in mourning was enough to deal with without having to cope with an irrational Arwen. And Phoebe who was still away, only the Valar knew where...

She helped Arwen fill her trunks with her favorite dresses and books, and Arwen declared herself ready to leave at dawn. An escort comprised of the best warriors and led by Elrohir would go to Lothlorien with her. Elrond's son hoped to meet his twin brother and his niece Phoebe somewhere between the two realms, and Valerie shared the same hope. One year, one year without knowing where her daughter was. She prayed many hours every night, asking the Valar to protect the two travelers. She knew Glorfindel was doing the same, although they never spoke about it. Adam's death and Phoebe's departure were difficult subjects they were avoiding to discuss.

The next day, Arwen left with her escort while Elrond was watching her from the stairs.

"I had hoped she would stay longer this time," Valerie told him.

"She never was happy here since her mother left for the Undying Lands. Every garden, every room reminds her of my dear Celebrian. She is more than happy to spend time anywhere else but here. She liked Arathorn very much, but it is hardly enough for her to decide to leave Imladris. It is an excuse. I am sorry that it is once again leaving you as the first lady of Imladris, in charge of the organization of the realm... Turgon is only 2 years old..."

"You know I like these responsibilities, my Lord. I have two governesses to help me. Being in charge of your house allows me to keep my mind busy."

"You could have another child," he reminded her. "The prophecy is not complete yet."

"I know. I may wait a few more years. Glorfindel... He still feels guilty about Adam. We cannot replace a child by another. Each and every one of them is irreplaceable."

"You are right," he said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "You have grown in wisdom since your arrival. I am so very proud of you."

"I am 43 years old, I am getting old," Valerie replied seriously.

Elrond barely contained his laughter while he watched the beautiful red head who looked as young as when she had first arrived, no wrinkles or gray hair marring her beauty. She was still a child to them all.

"How do you think Gilraen will be?" Valerie asked. She had met Gilraen a few times since her wedding, she was a sweet young woman, a little too dependent on her husband to Valerie's taste, but very friendly and with a great sense of humor.

"She is very young, 26 years old. The love of her life cruelly slain, a young child to raise... She will count on us, Valerie. I am afraid she will need you more than she will need me. I want to thank you in advance for the time you will spend taking care of my mortal family."

"It will be an honor, my Lord." Valerie knew Elrond cared for the descendants of his twin brother almost as much as he cared for his own children.

The next day, Gilraen and her escort arrived in Imladris. The welcome party was only comprised of Elrond, Erestor, Valerie and Turgon, who Valerie had thought might be helpful to tame a potentially volatile little orphan. Gilraen dismounted and walked to Lord Elrond, immediately bursting into tears in his arms. Elrond caressed her hair gently, waiting for the end of the storm.

Valerie walked to the ranger who had a child sitting in front of him, Turgon on her hip.

"Good day, ranger," she told him, nodding her head. "You must be Aragorn?" she asked in Westron to the young child who was watching her hair with fascination. "My name is Valerie, and this is my son, Turgon," she said to the child. "Are you hungry? I asked the cook to prepare a blueberry pie. Do you like blueberries?"

The child nodded. The ranger gave her the child, whom she installed on her other hip. Turgon and Aragorn stared at each other before starting to babble like only children not speaking the same language could. She climbed the stairs while Elrond was still consoling Gilraen.

She brought the children to the kitchens and watched them eat pie with appetite. A while later, Gilraen joined them.

"Lady Valerie, thank you for taking care of my son."

"Gilraen, call me Valerie like you used to the last time you visited Imladris."

"Thank you."

"Do you want some pie?"

"No. I am not hungry. I have lost interest in food since..."

"I understand. Gilraen, I want you to know that you are amongst friends. My mate's guards are protecting the realm, your safety is assured here. I will take good care of you, until you feel better and desire to return to your village."

"Can I stay here forever?" Gilraen laughed darkly. "I have no wish to see my son exposed to the same risks than his father."

"You know that Aragorn can remain here to perfect his education until he is an adult, until he is ready to take the lead of the Dunedain."

"I do not wish for him to follow his father's steps. It can only bring him pain and death."

"He will become a man, and choose his own destiny. We can never keep them with us forever," Valerie sighed.

"Like your Phoebe?"

"You know about her?"

"She visited us for a while with Elladan. They stayed a month."

"When was that? How is she?" Valerie asked eagerly.

"She is... I cannot describe her. I guess... angry would be a good word. The rangers are saying that she is... killing orcs with a... cruelty they have rarely seen. Elladan allows it, he is just making sure that her life is not in danger while she is... avenging her brother."

It seemed that her daughter had fallen into darkness, she who had always been an elleth with a cheerful spirit. She knew that Gilraen was censoring her words not to hurt her, her multiple hesitations a sure sign of that. Her delicate words only meant that Phoebe was now gruesomely slaughtering orcs, in a manner that disturbed the rangers who were, quite honestly, difficult to shock considering their own methods. In what state would she find her daughter the next time she saw her? Valerie wiped her tears before the children saw them. "At least, she is in good health," she said with courage, trying to hide her distress from Gilraen.

But Arathorn's widow had her own sadness to cope with. Whatever tragedy Valerie's family was going through, it was not on her list of priorities. "I am tired, I wish to retire to my room. Would you mind keeping an eye on Aragorn?"

"Worry not, I will take care of your son. He will share a room with Turgon for now. They are already friends, although I have no idea how they understand each other."

Gilraen distractedly hugged Valerie and left her. She would not come out of her room for many weeks. Only Elrond and Valerie were able to talk to her while she was letting herself be immersed in her grief.

"Care to tell me why there is a human child in Turgon's room?" Glorfindel asked when he came back from the borders three weeks later.

"It is Aragorn, Gilraen's son."

"I know who he is," Glorfindel snorted. "I would have recognized Arathorn's son even if I had found him alone in the wild, covered in dirt."

"Elrond started calling him Estel," Valerie informed him. "That way, word that Arathorn's son is in Imladris will not spread. He is the only survivor of this line, his life is very precious and he may have many enemies."

"Why is Estel sleeping in our apartment?" he asked again.

"Gilraen is very melancholic. She spends most of her days in her bed, barely eating, just staring at the ceiling."

"So you are taking care of her son?" he asked. He had been about to point out that Valerie had many responsibilities, and that adding the charge of a human child was probably too much.

"She lost her husband," Valerie reminded him, knowing full well what he was thinking. She had kept her family together following Adam's passing, Phoebe excepted. But her youngest children had recovered and their laughter and screams could be heard all over Imladris, reassuring sounds that the children of the prophecy had come out unbroken following the loss of their older brother. But Valerie knew that if it had been Glorfindel who had died, she would not have been the same, and so, she showed continuous and complete support to Gilraen, who had lost the love of her life.

Glorfindel groaned as he was lying down in their bed.

"Are you hurt?"

"Just some sore muscles," he admitted. "I am no longer young," he jested.

Valerie observed him for a long time, hesitating to bring up a subject neither of them dared to raise since these discussions always ended badly. It had taken months before they had started sharing a bed again, and many more before the physical side of their relationship had resumed. Valerie spent her days assuming the responsibilities of first lady of Imladris and taking care of her children. As a result, she rarely thought about her deceased son and missing daughter during the day. The nights were a different matter. Glorfindel spent most of his time at the borders, alone with his thoughts during his watch. It was likely that memories of the twins were plaguing him at all times, not that he had confided in Valerie about it. There were subjects they did not dare discuss yet.

But he had the right to know. Phoebe was his daughter after all.

"I have received news... about Phoebe," Valerie said cautiously. The wringing of her hands betrayed her nervousness.

Glorfindel immediately sat on the bed, forgetting his muscle ache. "What about her?"

"She spent a few weeks with the Dunedain. Elladan was still with her."

"He will never leave her. I spoke to him before they left. Is she... well?" he hesitated. He knew that if his daughter truly had been well, she would have bothered to at least send a message to her parents. But she had sent nothing. No letter, not even a verbal message to a ranger planning to visit Imladris.

"Physically, yes, as far as Gilraen knows. Mentally though... Gilraen was trying to be gentle with me the only time we spoke about her."

"She is still burning with anger," Glorfindel guessed, his words implying that said anger was pushing their daughter to cruelly attack any foe standing in her way.

Valerie nodded.

"I am sorry," he mumbled, apologizing for the millionth time.

She gently put her arms around his neck, straddling his legs. "Stop it. Blaming yourself is useless. She will come back eventually. And when she does, she will need us, because she will hate herself for her actions..."

"I love you," he told her, gently caressing her cheek and observing her painful expression.

"I love you too." She kissed him on the lips softly a few times until he sighed, and leaving behind his own sadness, he pulled her closer against him, grinding his groin against the apex of her thighs.

"Ada?" a little voice asked behind them. Valerie jumped out of the bed faster than lightning while Glorfindel took seconds longer to recover.

"Oropher!" Valerie cried. "You should be sleeping by now!"

"But I heard Ada's voice, I wanted to welcome him back from the borders!"

"Come here, ion nin – _my son_ ," Glorfindel said. Oropher jumped on the bed while Valerie was getting her robe to cover her silky night gown. She sat on the bed beside them while Glorfindel and Oropher were discussing their respective activities of the past few weeks.

"Ada?" female voices called. Sure enough, the noises had awoken Nimrodel and Mithrellas. "Can we join you?" Mithrellas asked, but Nimrodel had already joined Oropher on the bed and was already fighting for her father's attention. Mithrellas joined them.

"We will need a bigger bed," Valerie said with a smile, when she heard the light footsteps of her youngest son. Turgon soon appeared, Estel in tow. Gilraen's son remained at the door while Valerie helped Turgon to climb on his parents' bed. Valerie's children were all talking at once, and Valerie wondered how Glorfindel could keep up with the numerous conversations with his children. She noticed that Estel was watching them, a sad expression on his face.

"Come Estel," she said, extending her hand. "I want you to meet my mate Glorfindel."

The child walked hesitantly in her direction, but when Glorfindel started tickling his children, he did not hesitate any longer. He remembered how his father used to play with him, and he was missing having fun like this. Valerie helped him on the bed and soon, the son of Arathorn was playing with the family as if he had been part of it since his birth. Gone were the sadness and the mistrust. That night, Aragorn, known as Estel, became like an adoptive son of Imladris. He greatly cherished his mother, but became very close to the elves who had opened their arms and hearts to him. Elrond and his sons, Glorfindel and especially Valerie, became very important to him, and he would forever consider himself a half elf due to the education he received in Imladris during his childhood.

OoOoO

 _Plains north of Lothlorien, near the River Anduin_

 _Year 2936 of the Third Age_

 _3 years later_

Phoebe pulled her sword out of the orc's body, and received a spray of black blood in her face. The taste of the viscous liquid on her lips made her gag, and she fell to her knees while she emptied the content of her stomach on the grass.

Elladan killed the last two orcs of the small horde they had come upon earlier in the day. They had tracked them for hours before deciding to attack when the orcs had stopped to deal with one of their numerous fights. Half the horde had been eliminated when Elladan and Phoebe attacked, making their victory so much easier.

He stared at Phoebe as she was vomiting over and over again. "Are you well?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

He had been watching over her for the past four years, ever since the day she had asked him to leave Imladris to go on an orc killing quest with her. He had done this before to avenge his naneth. He had spent all his anger back then, until he had finally found peace. He knew that Phoebe had to go through a similar grieving process, and he also knew that he was the only one who could be her companion in her quest for revenge. However, four years later, he was starting to wonder if Phoebe would ever finish her grieving process.

Phoebe finally stopped retching and just stared at her hands, covered in black blood.

"What have I become?" she mumbled while trying to wipe her hands on the grass.

"Phoebe?" Elladan asked, shaking her a little.

"I am a monster," she whispered. "I have killed... so many..."

"You killed orcs," he reminded her. "They are the monsters, not you."

"I am... no better than a blood thirsty orc. I have dishonored my family... my realm..."

"Phoebe, please do not -" he started, trying to pull her up to her feet, but she pulled her arm away and moved away from him.

Realizing that she didn't want to talk, he gathered the bodies of the orcs and burnt them. She refused to eat that evening, and he had to remind her to sleep. He felt like he was dealing with a child. She was disgusted with herself, and would not do anything other than stare at her hands as if she could still see orc blood on them. Needless to say, her hands had been thoroughly washed and were very clean, at least to his eyes.

After a few days, he started wondering what he should do. Going back to Imladris was an option, but their realm was far. They could go to Lothlorien, where his grandmother Galadriel would certainly know what to do. But he also knew that Greenwood was close. Greenwood where a certain king had shown a particular interest in Phoebe.

"Phoebe," he asked her, "do you wish to go to Greenwood next?"

"Greenwood?" she repeated, puzzled. It was obvious that she had no idea why he was proposing Greenwood as their next destination.

"Yes. I think... I need to speak to King Thranduil," he lied.

"Thranduil?" She must have been under a great shock to act so strangely, as if she didn't remember the king of Greenwood. He had been with Valerie when she had traveled to Greenwood. He had noticed how Thranduil and Phoebe seemed to be close. The fact that Thranduil had visited Imladris to attend Phoebe's coming of age celebrations was obvious proof that the Elvenking had a certain interest in the elleth.

"Unless you wish to go home? I am sure your parents would like to see you, Phoebe."

"No! I cannot go home! My parents... they cannot see me like this!" Once again, she showed him her hands. She really seemed to think they were still covered in black blood.

"Let me find a place where we can sleep tonight, and we can discuss this further tomorrow."

But the next day, Phoebe was still non-responsive. She kept repeating that she had fallen low, that her fëa was now tainted and that she was undeserving of ever going back to Imladris. Elladan made the only reasonable decision under the circumstances: he led them north, in the direction of Greenwood.

OoOoO

Thranduil was training with a lieutenant, their knives colliding at an incredible pace as though this was a mortal combat between two sworn enemies. Although he was never guarding the forest road, the Elvenking was making sure to train regularly as if he was in charge of the security of his realm. Only the Valar knew when another war would start, and the growing darkness in his woods was not boding well. He would make sure that Greenwood was ready to face whatever was rising to destroy their peaceful lives. To a certain extent, it was also a good way for him to spend all the frustration he had accumulated in the recent years.

His morning training was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of his son.

"Legolas!" he said, still fighting with his opponent as if there had been no interruption. "I do not recall giving permission for your return to the fortress."

"Your memory is not failing you," Legolas said with an even tone. He was used to his adar acting kingly in front of their people and talking to him as the Greenwood captain, not as his only heir.

"I hope the reason for your presence here is an excellent one," Thranduil said, finally stopping the fight. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said, dismissing his opponent.

Legolas waited for the warrior to depart before addressing his father. "I believe you will find the reason is an excellent one indeed," he said darkly.

"Have we been attacked?"

"No. We have visitors."

"I was not expecting anyone." This was an understatement. They had had no visitors since the visit of Lady Valerie and her family more than five years before. "And I do not feel like receiving anyone either."

Legolas would not have insisted if he hadn't known how important these guests truly were. "I believe you will receive these particular visitors."

His dark tone caught his father's attention. "Who are they?"

"Lord Elladan and his traveling companion, Lady Phoebe."

To his credit, Thranduil's expression didn't change despite the turmoil in his fëa. Legolas was duly impressed by his father's self-control.

"Where are they?"

"In the throne room. I was not sure if you wanted to see them in your office or in a more formal setting."

"Bring them to my office," the king decided otherwise. The throne room was too formal for this unexpected but most welcomed reunion.

Legolas nodded and left the private training room while Thranduil hurried back to his rooms to change into more fitting robes. When he arrived in his office, Legolas and Elladan were sitting while a cloaked person he assumed was Phoebe was standing in a corner, observing a portrait of Oropher. The two ellyn were watching her warily, in complete silence.

When the Elvenking entered, the ellyn stood and bowed, awaiting his reaction, while Phoebe's eyes never left the portrait, as if she had not realized that the king had entered the room.

"Lord Elladan, Lady Phoebe," Thranduil said, nodding in their direction.

"Your Majesty, thank you for accepting to receive us today," Elladan replied respectfully. "We have traveled a long time, and we were looking for a place to rest for a few days. We visited Lothlorien a few months ago, but only stayed a week."

"What are the news from the other realms?"

"Lothlorien has seen many goblins and orcs in the past few years, but never was their realm truly threatened. The south is very quiet. King Fengel still rules in Rohan. The Prince Aglahad of Dol Amroth died four years ago. We had just arrived there and we attended the funeral of Aglahad and the crowning of Prince Angelimir. There is nothing to report from Gondor, the Steward Turgon has been ruling for 22 years, but he is now 81 years old and his health is not the best. His son Ecthelion is already 50 years old and shows signs of impatience. He is already making some decisions on behalf of his father. Ecthelion has a son, Denethor, who is 6 years old. I do not think we have to worry about the Stewards, their line is assured until -" Elladan stopped. He was not sure how much Elrond had shared with the other elven rulers about Estel.

"Have you received news from Imladris lately?"

"We have not heard about home since we left Lothlorien months ago."

"Then you must know there is a human child being raised in Imladris?" Thranduil said with a sarcastic smile.

"Yes," Elladan admitted, realizing that Thranduil knew more about Arathorn's son than he had expected.

"I am not sure if this child will finally be the one... At the time, Elrond had seemed so certain that Arathorn would be the one to claim back the throne."

"His death was a blow to us all," Elladan said darkly.

Thranduil looked above Elladan's shoulder at the cloaked shape that still had not moved. He lifted an eyebrow in a silent question.

"She has been like this for the past three weeks," Elladan murmured.

"What happened?" Legolas whispered.

"I am not sure. We were fighting a bunch of orcs, nothing unusual really, when she suddenly seemed to come out of a trance. She felt... dirty."

"All her anger is spent, I assume?" Thranduil asked.

"It seems that it is... It took long enough, much longer than I had expected! But I am surprised by her reaction. Neither my brother or I were in this state of shock after we stopped roaming to avenge our naneth."

"With all due respect, your brother and you have little in common with Lady Phoebe," Thranduil said with hauteur. "For one, her fëa is half-elven, therefore more vulnerable to human emotions. She also is lacking your vast experience of life. She is 22 years old, and spent the last 4 years attempting to avenge her dead twin brother. That is a major portion of her life spent in a constant state of anger and cruelty..."

"You are right," Elladan admitted. "I was not sure what to do. So I brought her here."

"You came to the right place," the king said. "Leave me alone with her."

Legolas frowned but stood immediately. Elladan took longer to obey. "You brought her here for a reason, Elrondion, do you not trust me?"

Elladan followed Legolas out of the room, sending one last worried glance in Phoebe's direction. As soon as they were alone, Thranduil walked in her direction and stood beside her, contemplating the portrait of his adar.

"He was a good ellon, a great king, who united the Silvan and Sindarin elves under one banner. I still miss him, millennia after his passing. Some say he brought his death upon himself and sacrificed a great number of Greenwood's people by his recklessness and refusal to follow orders. These comments still anger me, even if I have heard them since the day of his passing. But he is reborn now, living a happy second childhood with your family. I cannot wait for him to remember me. It is... one of the only things that keeps me going. Hope always comes back, Phoebe, it always does."

She finally looked at him, a horrified look in her eyes. She showed him her hands. Thranduil noticed that they were dirty and her fingernails were in dire need of cleaning, but other than that, these were the hands of a warrior who had traveled for many weeks without stop.

"Do you wish to wash your hands?" he asked. He had a pitcher of fresh water in his office, it would be easy to get some soap from a servant... He called and asked for a bar of soap while he was dragging Phoebe to a small table at the other end of his office.

He helped her remove her cloak and put it on a chair, and gave her the soap a servant had just brought. It was a perfumed one, usually used by the ladies of the court. The smell was quite pleasant, but Phoebe didn't seem to notice. She grabbed the bar and started washing her hands with a despair that was quite strange. Surely, her hands were not that dirty, were they?

But as her hands were becoming clean, she kept rubbing the soap on her skin as if the dirt was still there.

"Phoebe, your hands are clean," he said, frowning.

She mumbled something he didn't quite hear, and started scratching her hands with her nails. He took her hands forcefully to stop her before she hurt herself.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked, almost angry.

"Blood..."

"Yes, your hands will be bloody if you keep scratching your skin like this!"

She showed him her hands again. "Blood... so much blood..."

That is when it dawned on him – she was seeing blood on her hands, the blood of all the creatures she had killed in the past four years. Surprised, he stood with her hands in his, wondering what to do. How did you make someone realize their hands were clean? But it was more than that, it was her conscience, she was feeling guilty, she could not live with the actions she had done. Her revenge had taken her far beyond everyone's expectations, and now, the trauma was too much for her young soul.

He called a servant again and asked for a healer to come to his office immediately. For the moment, this was beyond his area of knowledge.

* * *

 _A/N: Aragorn/Estel is now being raised in Imladris – and Valerie is like a second mother to him. Arwen has never seen him yet, they are supposed to meet when he will be an adult. After 4 years, Phoebe is finally done with her vengeance, but she now feels tainted with all the killing she has done. Will Thranduil be able to help her through this phase? In the next chapter, Thorin Oakenshield makes a memorable entrance in the story!_

Alygator xandra: I am sorry for this sad chapter – happiness will come back in the family's life soon.

Glassary: Valerie and Glorfindel are starting to recover a few years after Adam's passing – it is a long process. And you are right, Phoebe will eventually get up close and personal with Thranduil's true appearance…

princessnera: Thranduil will always be a dominating type – the situation will escalate even more in the next chapters, until Thranduil finally gets his ultimatum.

Foofie01: Valerie knows that Glorfindel is not guilty of anything – but as a mother, she needs to identify someone she can blame. She regretted it quickly, but the impact on Glorfindel lasted for years…

Maggie: Thranduil had to wait 4 years, and now he is not even sure if she will be his soon or not. This is testing his patience!

Fihunt: I know that the scene was quite sad – and Valerie's reaction didn't help! Don't worry, they will find their way back to each other…

Laurelin: Thank you! Yes, Phoebe will become more mature after all these events, this will give her the strength required to stand up to Thranduil and his difficult character.

Ren-a1992: I am glad to know that you particular like this version of the prophecy! The possibility is there, that is for sure!

Ndavis77: he was a spoiled brat, that is for sure, but still, it was heartbreaking to part with this character. However, it was necessary for the story to take the turn I want it to…

Aralinn: please don't hate me! Thranduil knows that she needs to spend her anger on this orc killing quest, otherwise, she would be depressed and bitter for many decades to come. I never thought about what would happen should Thranduil die – I am planning to keep him alive and kicking for your entertainment! I imagine the magic would stop and we would see the burns. I hope you like the idea that Valerie will be like a second mother to Aragorn while his mother is struggling with her grief.


	18. Chapter 18 - The Captives

_Chapter 17 ended with:_

 _Her revenge had taken her far beyond everyone's expectations, and now, the trauma was too much for her young soul._

 _He called a servant again and asked for a healer to come to his office immediately. For the moment, this was beyond his area of knowledge._

 **Chapter 18 – The Captives**

The healer had spent many hours with Phoebe, and although the king had wanted to attend the sessions, the healer had insisted for Glorfindel's daughter be given her privacy. Thranduil had allowed it with great reluctance, but in the end, he thought Phoebe might heal faster if she was not feeling judged by someone other than her healer.

However, the healer had reported little progress over the following days, and Elladan had openly wondered if he should have brought her to Imladris instead. The king realized that withholding information may not be the best option. He had received, year after year, a letter from Imladris, each time delivered by an eagle. He had received four letters so far, still unopened since they had been addressed to Phoebe. He knew they were from Valerie, since a brief letter for him was always with the letters for Phoebe. Valerie was giving him some brief news about Oropher, and asking him to give the letters to Phoebe should she ever visit Greenwood during her journey.

Where the healer had been unsuccessful, maybe Phoebe's naneth would achieve more progress? He had not thought her ready to read a letter from home, but maybe she was?

Thranduil opened a secret drawer in his desk and took out the four envelopes sealed with the Golden Flower crest. He hid them in his robes, and quietly walked to the small garden where Phoebe was usually spending her afternoons, lying on a long chair. This was the spot where they had been meeting every day during her visit five years before. Did she remember it? She had not really spoken to him since their first conversation during which she had attempted to wash the non-existent blood on her hands. There she was, staring at the nearby bush, Elladan attempting to have a conversation with her. He stood when the king appeared in his line of vision.

"Your Majesty," the son of Elrond said respectfully. "Today's session was not very successful again. We have been here for a week, we will have to move on..."

"You cannot go through the mountain pass with her, you know it as much as I do."

"I need to try."

"You would need a huge escort."

"Will you not provide it to us?"

"If it comes to that..."

"Do you have anything else to propose?" Elladan asked coldly. Would the king force them to remain in his realm by not giving them the help they needed to go back home? He knew his adar and grandparents would not be pleased to hear this.

"I have something for Lady Phoebe," the king answered.

"What is it?" Elladan asked.

Thranduil didn't quite like his tone, but he had to admit that for the moment, in her current state, Elrond's son was Phoebe's guardian.

"Letters. From her naneth."

"And you only tell us now?" Elladan inquired, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Thranduil was not used to being spoken to in such a manner. He was about to throw Elladan out of his realm when the warrior realized how unacceptable his behavior was towards the Elvenking.

"I apologize," he mumbled.

"Pardon?" the king asked haughtily.

"Please accept my apologies for my behavior. It dishonored my family and the strict education I have received from my father and Lord Erestor. Please know that it is only due to the fact that I greatly care for Phoebe. She has been my companion for the past four years."

Thranduil stared at Elladan for a long while. "Do not let this become a habit, Elrondion. Now, leave Lady Phoebe and I alone."

"But..."

"This is an order, in case you have not realized. I do not recommend that you test my patience again."

The king stared at Elladan with a nasty spark in his eyes, until the warrior lowered his eyes and bowed before leaving the king and Phoebe alone. Thranduil pulled a chair in front of Phoebe's and sat down in front of her.

"Phoebe?" he asked. He took her hands in his and rubbed them to warm them up. How could her hands be so cold in the summer? Was it a sign that she was unwell, or was it normal for a half-elven elleth? She looked at him, the contact between them bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I have something for you." She shrugged. She had no interest in whatever he had to offer. "It is from home."

There was a sudden spark of interest in her eyes, but she kept staring at him. He took the four letters out and held them for her to pick them up. He held them for a few minutes, refusing to open them for her. She needed to make an effort. She needed to stop waiting for everyone to serve her and take care of her. She needed to take some semblance of control over her life.

She extended a hesitating hand and touched the letters without grabbing them. "From whom?" she whispered.

"Your mommy," he said, purposely using the strange word he knew she used to call her naneth.

"Why four?"

Did she not realize how long ago she had left Imladris to avenge her brother? "I received the first one a year after you had left Imladris with Elladan. And then... one every year after that. Will you not take one? The top one is the first one I received." He pushed it gently in her hand until she grabbed it hesitantly. "Open it," he insisted.

She caressed the seal, recognizing the sun-shaped flower in the red wax. She broke the seal and slowly opened the letter.

 _Imladris, summer of 2932_

 _My dear Phoebe, I am sending a letter to Greenwood in case your journey takes you there. I pray you will receive this letter and that it finds you in good health, and that Elladan is well too. Please tell him that Elrinor keeps asking for his uncle. He has received his first horse, and cannot wait for Elladan to see how good a rider he already is._

 _But enough news for Elladan, many things have changed in Imladris since you left. Unfortunately, Arathorn has been killed during an orc raid. His widow and their son have moved to Imladris for now. Estel, that is his new name, spends a tremendous amount of time with your siblings. In fact, Glorfindel says that I raise him as if he was my own. Gilraen, his mother, is still very much unable to care for her son, her grief is still too great. But you know me, one more elfling to care for is barely noticeable at this point._

 _Turgon talks a lot now that he has a friend his own age. I sometimes wish he could remain silent once in a while. Oropher is doing well, except for the lessons he now receives from Erestor and Lindir. I am afraid he is not the best of students, he much prefers to ride and play in the woods, unlike your sisters, who are their preceptors' pride and joy. They all miss you, Phoebe. You are their big sister, and they are looking up to you for guidance and protection._

 _I miss you too. Dreadfully. So is your adar, although he never actually said the words. You know him, that should not surprise you. I pray you will find your peace and come back home soon._

 _Your loving mother,_

 _Valerie_

Phoebe gently folded the letter, and held out her hand to get the other ones. Thranduil had watched her face while she read, and had not been able to read her emotions, but he saw a spark of interest in her eyes, something he had not seen since her arrival in Greenwood. He gave her the other envelopes.

Phoebe read them eagerly. The second and third letters were giving her news of her family again, but Valerie ended the letters with an urgent plea for her return. She opened the fourth one.

 _Imladris, Summer of 2936_

 _My Phoebe,_

 _It has been four years that we have not seen you, four years without even a word from you. When I saw you pass the gate without looking back, riding your mare in front of Elladan, I never imagined at the time that our separation would be so lengthy. I am writing this letter, but I no longer hope that you will read my letters. They now serve more as a way of expressing my grief, rather than a way of communicating with you._

 _The king of Greenwood sent me word that you had never visited his realm since you left Imladris. If you are not visiting him either... then maybe I have to accept that you may no longer be with us. Otherwise, why would you completely cut all communications with us? But I refuse to consider this possibility. The Valar would never take one of my children again. And Elrohir is certain that Elladan is still alive._

 _So I keep hoping that you are still alive somewhere in Middle Earth. That you will return to us one day. Your brothers and sisters, your adar and I, we all are waiting for you. You will soon have another sibling, I will give birth in a few months to another prophecy elfling. I pray that you will be here with me. I do not want to give birth without you present, it would be so wrong. I need your support to go through this._

 _I love you, Phoebe. I am uncertain about what stops you from coming back home. You may blame yourself for the events that took your brother's life, or you may be too ashamed to come back following years of violence. But whatever the reason is, I care not. No one blames you. No one will fear you. I certainly will not think any lesser of you. I just want you back. You can heal with us, with your family. You need our love, and we need yours._

 _Your mother,_

 _Valerie_

And at the bottom of the letter, a single phrase in a different hand-writing, the hand-writing of an elf who was millennia old rather than her mother's still hesitant handwriting. She recognized it immediately even if it was not signed.

 _Come back to me, iel nin –_ my daughter _._

Her mother's words had broken her heart. Valerie had thought her dead, but refused to believe it. She was having another child. Life had not ended in Imladris following Adam's passing. Her siblings were still growing, they missed her, and now, another elfling would be born, one she would not see breathe their first breath as she had for Oropher and Turgon.

She was relieved to see how well her mother knew her, understood her scruples, and simply did not care about them. The love of a mother was endless, regardless of whatever guilt you were carrying within your soul, and she realized that her naneth would welcome her back with open arms, whatever she had done, even if she had killed a great number of orcs. She had lost track of the quantity, but it was not important for her mother.

However, the last sentence had been her undoing. Glorfindel missed her, called for his daughter. For him to actually write this, in a letter no one ever thought she would read, meant that her disappearance had truly hurt his fëa deeply.

They all needed her. Even her adar. Especially her adar.

"I have to go back home," she told the king.

"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised. The letters had had more than the desired effect. He had only wanted to take her out of her depression. She had gone from unresponsive, to ready to pack in less than twenty minutes. He was not sure he was pleased with the turn of events. He had counted on her spending months in Greenwood, getting to know each other all over again without the presence of her parents.

"Yes. We need to leave now."

"You cannot leave now! It is the middle of the afternoon! You have not packed anything for a long journey! You will stay for a few weeks -"

"We will leave at dawn tomorrow," a male voice said behind them. Elladan.

Thranduil sneered. "I did not know you for your indiscretion. This is a private conversation, Elrondion."

"I was further away. I saw Phoebe reacting to the letters. I came closer. I cannot be blamed if your hearing failed you. Phoebe definitely saw me."

"You can prepare our journey, Elladan," Phoebe confirmed. "Although it may take longer than usual. I do not feel very strong."

"You really should stay for a while," the king insisted.

"I believe the king is right," Elladan admitted. "We can stay a few days, make sure you rest and eat well. We will leave at the end of this week."

Phoebe nodded and Elladan left them, his steps much lighter than before. The relief he was feeling was obvious for all to see as he entered the fortress.

"What of us?" Thranduil asked angrily. Phoebe was truly acting as if their future bond was not important. He had come to Imladris four years before to ask for her hand to her adar. A tragedy had replaced the expected celebrations. And now, Phoebe was simply going back home, leaving him behind to wait for her good will. Who did she think he was? Sweet Elbereth, he was the Elvenking, the only crowned elven lord of Middle Earth! And she was treating him as if he was less than a stable boy!

Phoebe gently put her hand on his cheek. She caressed it, familiarizing herself with the softness of his skin. He closed his eyes, relishing the sensation of her calloused hand on his face. He searched his memory for the last time someone had caressed his face like this. It had been his mother Tialyn, when she had left Greenwood to sail after the passing of his adar. She had caressed him, wishing that they would be reunited soon. Millennia had passed, and no one had touched him like this since then. Not even his first wife. Certainly not his first wife. Arranged marriages did not call for affectionate gestures between spouses.

"Which side is hurt? Or are both sides injured?" she murmured, taking him out of his reverie.

"Left," he said in a strained voice. Was she really going to bring this up now?

"I really cannot tell the difference when I look at you. But when I touch you... I feel some tingles on my fingers."

He allowed her to keep exploring his face. Even if she was studying him in what he thought was an unhealthy manner, the feel of her hand on his face just felt too good to order her to stop.

"You will have to come to Imladris and ask my father for my hand. They had prepared my dowry, I think you will like it, if the rumors are true," she continued.

"I would take you without a dowry. This is a habit that has no place in Greenwood."

"But you are king. For my adar, it is a sign of respect for the line that you represent. A dowry has been prepared."

Phoebe remembered that her adar had prepared a case with weapons from Gondolin, something any warrior would have killed their own kin to get their hands on. And her mother had been ready to give up two of her most beautiful necklaces that her father had brought back from her world. Diamonds, lots of diamonds, with emeralds and sapphires. Thranduil would be impressed by the refined cut of modern jewelry. He would not say he cared not for riches after he saw this!

"So, you are leaving me now? And I have to come all the way to Imladris again to ask for your hand in marriage?"

"Yes. But I will leave you with a token of my... affection for you."

"And what would that be?"

"Come to my room tonight. I will show you."

OoOoO

Phoebe was smirking to herself as she was riding her mare behind Elladan's stallion. They had passed the Greenwood forest and were now in the plains near the mountains.

She would never forget her last few days in Greenwood.

Thranduil had shown up at her door, convinced she had something to show him. Maybe he thought she had accumulated treasures in her pack in the last four years? If only he had known she only owned one set of clothes and her weapons, nothing else...

He had come to her room and she had been waiting for him, naked as the day she was born. She was a grown 22-year old maiden, and quite frankly, she had never imagined that she would still be a virgin by that age after they had met in Lothlorien a few years before.

She knew some elves were not sharing physical intimacy until they found their fëa-mate. Arwen was a good example. Others, like Elrond's twins, were taking extreme liberties with willing partners. She had heard that her aunt Allison had had an affair with Elladan before bonding with her uncle Elrohir. No one had confirmed this, but Arwen had smiled when Phoebe had asked about the rumors. An admission if there ever was one.

Thranduil had experienced the inconvenience and pain of an arranged marriage between two elves. When she had invited him in her room, she had not known if he had had lovers before his marriage or even after his wife's passing. But she had taken the chance that surely, if they were fëa-mates, he would not mind sharing intimacy with her before their bonding.

The expression on his face when she had opened the door revealed that it was the last thing he had been expecting. Right then, she had realized that he probably was not one of the elves who considered sex lightly. But as shocked as he had been, he had quickly recovered, and after some hesitation on his part and strong coaxing on hers, they had ended up lying in her bed.

The discovery of her body had taken much longer than she had expected. He had literally kissed, caressed and licked every inch of her skin. Some areas of her body had been more sensitive, and she blushed at the memory of his face between her legs while he was sensually licking her folds. She had never imagined such pleasure was possible. She had sometimes heard the noises her parents were doing at night when Glorfindel was in Imladris, but to experience this herself had been a revelation.

She loved sex. She wanted to have sex with Thranduil every day of her life. She wanted him to come to Imladris as soon as possible and marry her so they could do this all the time. Certainly, his people would not mind if their king was in her bed days in and days out?

However, the experience with Thranduil had gone beyond the physical pleasure of intimacy. Yes, he had pleasured her before opening her legs wide and slowly entering her, creating a slight discomfort and a strange, alien feeling of being full _down there_. His face as he had entered her had been a sight to behold. She imagined a starved man would have this expression as honey passed his lips. Soon, he had started moving and she had felt some pleasure in her core, pleasure that had slowly spread to the rest of her stomach, her muscles tensing, ready for another orgasm that was different than what she had felt when he had pleasured her with his mouth.

And in the semi-darkness of her room, with only the candlelight allowing her eyes to see, she had seen it. She had violently climaxed, and was slowly recovering when she had realized he was climaxing too, his body tense above hers, the strange sensation of his elfhood pulsing inside her and the resulting wetness as he had spilled his seed in her body. Completely undone, without any control over his body, he had let go of the enchantment.

The left side of his face had been against her cheek when she felt a change in texture. She had moved a little to watch him as he came and it had taken all her self-control not to shiver when she had seen the damages that were usually hidden by the magic. It truly was a frightening vision, one that would scare or disgust anyone. He had no skin on almost half his face, the flesh and bones on display, his left eye completely white without a pupil. That eye was obviously blind. How was no one realizing that the king only truly had the use of his right eye? How could he fight so well being half-blind like this?

Phoebe was a warrior, she had seen gruesome injuries before. She also felt a strong connection to this elf. He was her fëa-mate. The darkness he carried inside him was due to this injury. And he had certainly not chosen to sustain something so horrible as a dragon burn. Any lesser elf would have let himself die. But he had not. Saruman had shown him how to hide his real state, so that everyone could treat him normally instead of having the horrified reactions his face would surely cause.

Thranduil had realized his mistake and within seconds, the enchantment had come back in place. He had expected her to jump out of her bed, had assumed she would reject him. But she had not even shivered at the sight of his true visage.

They had stared at each other for a few moments, each waiting for the other to react first. It had been Phoebe who had made the first move. She had put her hand behind his head and brought his face closer for a kiss.

"I never thought pleasure like this was possible," she had murmured after the kiss.

"Me neither," he admitted, relieved that she was acting as if nothing had happened. "It was not like this... with Legolas' mother."

"Please do not bring her up in my bed," Phoebe had cried with humor. "You are heavy, will you not let me breathe?" she had asked with a smile.

He had lied down beside her, watching her warily as she had stood from the bed and gone to get wine in a carafe at the other end of the room.

"Phoebe?" he had called, needing some confirmation that things were fine with her. Her lack of comment on what she had seen earlier was puzzling him. In fact, he had expected her to just run away. But instead, she had come back in his direction and had shared her glass of wine with him.

"Do not ruin this moment with words," she had told him. It had been his last attempt at discussing his injury with her.

And now, as she was traveling towards Imladris, looking forward to seeing her family again, she was also plotting to have sex with Thranduil again, right under her father's nose before she was officially married to the king. She was sure her mother would help her. After all, Allison had not been the only one having sex before her marriage. She remembered the scandal that had preceded her parents' binding. Valerie had been pregnant with Glorfindel's daughters at the time. Phoebe would receive no lessons from either of them!

OoOoO

 _Imladris, Year 2941 of the Third Age_

 _5 years later_

Thorin Oakenshield wasn't a happy dwarf. He had been tricked by Gandalf, the treacherous wizard, and now, he was trapped in his enemy's home. He was convinced his group could have escaped the orcs without the help of these elves. Elves could not be trusted. They were lying and disloyal, all of them without exception. Even the little ones that kept laughing and screaming as they played in the yard right below the balcony of the healing room where a female elf was stitching a cut he had sustained during the recent skirmish.

 _Future little traitors_ , he mumbled, listening to them with anger. He turned his attention back to the elleth who had treated the other dwarves before taking care of him. She had not spoken to him at all, quietly performing her tasks as if she was mute. Or maybe she didn't speak Westron? Inexcusable. These beings were supposed to live eternally. It was disrespectful of them not to even try to learn other languages. But then again, elves were self-centered and thought themselves to be a superior race.

The healer stretched her arm to grab a pair of scissors, and as she turned her head, her brown hair moved away from her ear and he noticed that the female didn't have pointy ears. Well, they were a little pointy, but it was subtle. His attention now completely focused on her, he started observing her more closely. Her facial features were not as refined as the elves he had met in his life. She was precise as she was stitching his wound, but her movements were not as light and graceful as he would have expected.

"Who are you?" he asked in Westron, his gaze questioning yet not unkindly.

"My name is Allison Thompson," she replied. He immediately noted that she had a slight accent. And her name had no elvish origins. He was right. She was not an elf. Was she a prisoner? Was she being held against her will?

"What are you doing here?"

She cut the thread and watched him back with a frown. "I am a healer. I thought it was obvious."

"Are you from Rohan? From Lake-town?"

"This is my home."

"But you were not born here, in Rivendell," he claimed, knowing he was right.

"No," she replied, quickly standing to clean up while he was putting his shirt back on.

Before she could leave the room, he grabbed her wrist. "Are you being held here against your will? Are you being treated well?"

Allison was not amused by the question. The dwarf in front of her was the most prejudiced person she had met since her arrival in Middle Earth. And to think he was the heir of the late king of the dwarves! She had wondered why Elrohir and the other elves found the dwarves distasteful. When the group had arrived with Mithrandir, along with a little hobbit who was very friendly, she had experienced what Elrohir had been talking about. They seemed to have poor manners and had complained about everything since their arrival.

How could she get rid of the dwarf without having to explain the reason why she had come to Middle Earth? She heard the familiar sounds of the children playing in the yard, and a wicked idea came to mind. A few days before, Valerie had discussed with Glorfindel about how Elladan and Elrohir used to share lovers, including Allison. Unfortunately, Oropher had heard them and the children had gossiped about it for days, even discussing it with her son Elrinor, who had been bombarding her with questions about her past relationship with his uncle, while barely understanding what it truly meant. Awkward conversations that could and should have been avoided. Allison would have retaliated by telling Valerie's youngest children that Mithrellas and Nimrodel had been conceived out of wedlock, but it was something Valerie was not ashamed of. At all.

Revenge needed to hurt. She had just found a way to spoil Valerie's fun. Her sister was spending the afternoon alone at the river, reading and relaxing away from her duties and her children. She observed the dwarf under semi-closed eyelids. Valerie would never know where this came from.

"Please let me go!" she murmured, pulling her wrist away from his grip. "I cannot be seen talking to you!"

"I knew it! You are captive here! Are you being treated well?"

"Please!" Allison begged, a most convincing performance for an elleth who was not an actress. "Leave me alone. I am not the one you should talk to!"

"Who? Who can talk to me? I can help you! I can help you escape from these elves, and bring you to a town where you will be with your own race!"

"My sister is here too," Allison continued, avoiding his gaze not to laugh in his face. She knew she was not being respectful to this dwarf, a man who had suffered from the loss of his home and the exodus of his people. But his hate of elves was not encouraging her to show kindness. Elves were truly considerate beings, peaceful, respectable, charitable. Except for King Thranduil, but he was an entirely different matter, and more specifically Phoebe's problem now. Her poor niece!

"She is near the river," she continued, "she can explain our situation here better than I can. Now please leave, I must return to my duties before someone notices. The consequences would be dire," she whined.

She watched from the corner of her eye how the dwarf was standing, his expression determined, before leaving the healing halls in a hurry like a man who was going to save a damsel in distress. Feeling a little guilty, she cleaned her instruments, wondering how Valerie would handle the famous Thorin Oakenshield. Her sister had never been scared of Thranduil. In comparison, Thorin was pretty thin gruel and Valerie would wrap him around her little finger in an instant.

Thorin walked in the direction of the river, crossing the yard where he saw the annoying elflings. Four boys were playing with a ball, and were obviously disagreeing about the rules of the game. One looked like a smaller version of Elrond, one had dark brown hair while another had hair white as snow. How strange for a child! The fourth one had a striking resemblance with his enemy Thranduil. That was not possible! Two adult females and two blonde little girls were watching them while quietly chatting. If these females had been dwarves, they would not have allowed the children to bother everyone with their noise. Discipline, strict discipline was what children needed. But then again, why would he expect elves to raise their children properly?

He soon reached the river bank and saw the woman he assumed was the healer's sister sitting on a rock, lost in thought. She had the most shocking hair color he had ever seen. Bright red under the sun. A conspicuous color, calling for attention. Certainly not discreet like all female dwarves were. But this woman could not be blamed for her hair color. The gods had decided to impose this on her. She probably hated it. She only was a poor captive woman, and he promised himself he would help the two sisters and bring them with his company to the nearest town.

He cleared his throat to catch her attention. She started and turned her head in his direction, frowning. Not recognizing who he was, she stood on the rock she had been sitting on and looked at him as if she was evaluating if he was a threat. He saw her make a movement in her back, as if she had been expecting to have a weapon there, but her hand came back empty handed. She blanched.

It made no sense to him that she would have looked for a weapon. No dwarf, men or elf would give a weapon to a female. Her cloak must have been bothering her, and she had placed it properly on her back with that movement. He had to stop being so suspicious.

"Who are you?" Valerie calmly asked in Westron, looking behind him to see if someone else was coming to her aid. There was no one in sight and she didn't have her bow to protect herself.

"Do not be afraid. I am Thorin, son of Thrain. I just arrived in Rivendell this morning with a company of dwarves. Lindir welcomed us."

"How did you find this realm?" she asked, enveloping herself more tightly in her cloak. Imladris was supposed to be hidden to the eyes of people who did not know where it was located. It was an enchantment that Lord Elrond and Mithrandir had created millennia before to ensure no enemies would enter their peaceful realm. As far as she knew, dwarves were not sworn enemies of Imladris, but she had heard enough about them to know that elves and dwarves had difficult relationships since a dragon had destroyed the dwarvish realm in the Lonely Mountain. Thranduil had refused to sacrifice his warriors in vain for a race who had, quite frankly, not been very nice to his people when they had been in a position of power.

"Gandalf was with us," Thorin explained.

"Mithrandir is here?" she repeated joyfully. She had not seen the wizard in such a long time!

"Yes, he arrived with us. And we will help you. I will talk to him as soon as we head back to the city. It should not be a problem."

"Help me do what?" Valerie had no idea what the dwarf was talking about.

"Escape." He extended his hand, as if he wanted her to take it and follow him wherever he planned to bring her.

"Escape?" she repeated with disbelief.

"Yes! We will bring you to the closest town. Your sister and you do not have to remain here, with the elves. This is not a life that I wish to my worst enemy."

She stared at him for a while. She had always thought that dwarves were smaller than this. Guess that whole Snow White story had nothing to do with reality. Thorin had long, dark hair and a beard that made a quite noticeable contrast with his piercing blue eyes. He looked strongly built, and if he had not been speaking nonsense, she may have spent time with him to know more about his people. But he seemed completely misguided about Allison and her. Obviously, no one had told him that there were two half-elven ladies in the Last Homely House, and he had just assumed that Lord Elrond was keeping them as captive servants. He must have been extremely prejudiced to think such a thing! How would a captive be relaxing alone near the river in the middle of the afternoon, richly dressed as she was? Had he no eyes to see?

"What makes you think that I am not an elf?" she asked, refusing to take his hand.

Thorin snorted as if it was a silly question and he did not bother to answer. "We have some business here for a few days, and when we leave, I will find you and your sister, and we will help you escape, I promise."

"What makes you think I want to leave Imladris?" she insisted, determined to end this farce.

Thorin knew that sometimes, captives were so afraid of their captors that they preferred not to try to escape. They were becoming passive, reconciled with the idea that their fate was unchangeable, and fought against anyone who tried to give them their freedom back. This was obviously the case here. Poor woman!

"Listen, you cannot stay with them. Elves cannot be trusted. They look incredibly beautiful on the outside, but their eternal souls are absolutely rotten. They believe themselves to be superior, care not for the other races. You have no future here. Come with me."

"I have to ask you again. What makes you think that I am not an elf?"

"Listen, it is obvious that you are not an elf. Your facial features are not elven. Do not get me wrong, you are very beautiful, but you do not have these refined traits that elves have. You obviously feel the cold, you wear a cloak in June while the other Rivendell inhabitants are wearing light robes and tunics. You have not heard me when I arrived near the river, so you do not have the extremely keen elven hearing. And when you stood before... I do not want to insult you, but... you are not as slender as one of their females."

"Are you calling me fat?" she burst out laughing. She had to give it to him, the dwarf was quite perceptive. He had analyzed all of this within minutes, while some rangers had never noticed this about her without having someone informing them of her status.

Thorin watched her as she laughed. He wondered if her mental abilities had not been affected by her captivity. She climbed down the rocks where she had been standing and passed by him, still giggling.

He followed her. "Listen," he continued, his frustration rising. She obviously did not think he could keep his promise to save her. "You have no future here. You are very young and know nothing of the world. They will reject you like a used tool once you become old. No elf will spare a glance in your direction, lower himself to marry you, my poor child! Find your own people! This is your only chance at having a normal life."

Valerie stopped and slowly turned to face the dwarf who had followed her. She had no idea who he was. He was the first dwarf she had ever met. The fact that he had arrived with Mithrandir was his only saving grace. If he had been truly evil, the wizard would not have brought him in this realm. This Thorin was misguided to say the least, but he seemed genuine in his concern about her.

"I am a half-elf," she declared. "And an elf has lowered himself to bind himself to me," she added, insisting on the word _lowered_. More than anything, his comment about no elf ever wanting to be with her had hurt her deeply. "And another ellon did the same for my sister, the healer you are also concerned about."

Valerie opened her cloak to reveal her waist. "And this shape of mine is the consequence of the love my mate has for me. So, you will forgive me if I do not follow you once this business of yours is done."

"They are not treating you well," he insisted. "You just confirmed my suspicions when you said your husband lowered himself to your level."

"I was merely using the language you used to point out how wrong you are. I have a high position here, and no one ever tried to make me feel inferior, except you today. You have hurt me in so many ways! I suggest that you ask Mithrandir about me, ask him if I am important for the elven people. You can come back to speak to me once you are ready to apologize for all your chauvinism. And for the hate you feel towards the race I am part of."

She turned around in a majestic movement and briskly left the stunned dwarf to go back to the manor. Her sister was sitting in the main stairs, quietly reading a book under the sun. She didn't lift her eyes from the book when she asked Valerie if she liked her new friend.

Valerie stopped beside her sister. "That was you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Did he want to save your little person?" Allison asked, smiling smugly. "Was he concerned and arrogant all at once, a strange mix to say the least?"

"Yes. You should have heard what he had to say about elves."

"Dwarves and elves do not like each other. Especially since Thranduil refused to come to their aid when that dragon attacked their city."

"If they all are as pleasant as this Thorin, I can understand why Thranduil refused to help! And why did Mithrandir bring him here?"

"There is a whole group of dwarves, led by Thorin, who is the dwarf-king in exile. He actually is the grandson of the king that Thranduil refused to help. They are noisy, impolite, they are complaining about everything. They are quite smelly and ugly, I might add. I hope they will not remain here very long."

"He told me they would soon be leaving, thank the Valar! I certainly do not need this on top of everything else I have to take care of. The Dunedain are expected soon, they want to bring Estel to their realm for a few months. Has Lord Elrond received them yet?"

"Our lord did not come back to the manor yet. I believe the dwarves were followed by orcs, and our warriors are still cleaning up behind them."

"Are Glorfindel, Elladan and Elrohir with him?"

"Yes. I cannot imagine that they will not be back before dinner. Can you picture this? We will have to receive the dwarves properly, as honored guests!"

Valerie shivered. "I told Thorin not to present himself in front of me unless he was willing to apologize."

"A dwarf? Apologizing? You are dreaming in Technicolor! Oh, I almost forgot! Mithrandir was looking for you. You are still his favorite," Allison teased. "He is waiting for you in your boudoir."

Valerie left her sister and hurried back to her apartment. She had not seen Mithrandir in a long time, and he would be glad to hear that another prophecy child was on the way. She specifically wanted to know if this sixth prophecy elfling was going to be her last. After Nimrodel and Mithrellas, Oropher, Turgon, Gil-galad who had been born five years before, and the one on the way, she thought she had done her part in the future war against darkness. She liked her children with all her heart, but was hoping that the Valar was now satisfied with her collaboration in the rebirth of elven heroes.

* * *

 _A/N: I tried to interpret how Thorin would feel about elves with his anger against elves. He truly would have wanted to save two women he thought were held against their will in Rivendell. I hope you like that chapter! The dwarves will remain in Imladris for 2 chapters, and then they will leave with Gandalf. There was a 5 years time jump during which the Elvenking and Phoebe have bound. We will see them interact with each other as mates when the dwarves go to Mirkwood!_

Glassary: Yes, the fact that he is long-lived will be easier on the family than Hadrien in the Legolas version… Just a few more chapters and you will see Thranduil and Phoebe as a married couple. Things will not be easy for them…

Fihunt: children have a particular talent for showing up at the wrong moment!

Maggie: Aragorn's mother dies when he is already a grown man – but Valerie will always be a second mother to him, even if she is not adopting him officially…

Paperlanterns86: in the end, it was Glorfindel's call to her that made her come out of her apathy. The fact that Glorfindel suffered from her absence made her realize that whatever she had done, parents are forgiving…

Shetan20: thank you for your review! I hope you will enjoy the next chapters!


	19. Chapter 19 - I am yours

_Chapter 18 ended with:_

 _Valerie left her sister and hurried back to her apartment. She had not seen Mithrandir in a long time, and he would be glad to hear that another prophecy child was on the way. She specifically wanted to know if this sixth prophecy elfling was going to be her last. After Nimrodel and Mithrellas, Oropher, Turgon, Gil-galad who had been born five years before, and the one on the way, she thought she had done her part in the future war against darkness. She liked her children with all her heart, but was hoping that the Valar was now satisfied with her collaboration in the rebirth of elven heroes._

Chapter 19 – "I am yours."

Thorin was watching his people eat their meal with appetite. For the first time since their arrival, there was a lot of meat on the table rather than just vegetables, fruits, cheeses and various kinds of bread. He knew he owed this particular attention to the lady who was head of the Last Homely House in the absence of Lord Elrond's wife and daughter: the half-elven Lady Valerie, the very one he had insulted with his misguided assumptions and indelicate comments.

The lady had been sitting at the head table for most of the meal, talking and jesting with the elves and the wizard sitting near her. With her richly adorned dark blue dress and her hair in a complicated bun, she looked regal, like the proper lady she truly was. If he had seen her like this the first time he had met her, he would never have made a terrible mistake. He made eye contact with the healer who had caused his embarrassment. She too, was sitting at the head table, and an ellon who was one of the twin sons of Elrond was sometimes putting his hand on hers in a tender gesture. The healer smiled to Thorin, apparently regretting her jesting and the consequences it had had for him and her sister.

Once more, Lady Valerie stood and walked to the table where all the elflings were sitting, eating with two ellith who had a difficult time keeping them disciplined and quiet. The appearance of the lady near them instantly changed the atmosphere at the table, with all the elflings suddenly on their best behavior. She caressed a few heads, gave a few orders in their language that obviously were requests to finish their meal.

"Most of these children are hers, can you believe that?" Bilbo Baggins whispered in his ear. The hobbit was a gossip, and Thorin was not surprised to see that he was already informed of all the interesting facts about Rivendell's people. "She looks so young and beautiful, but she is 51 years old! Impressive, no? Gandalf said that if she had been born a full elf, she would barely be out of childhood."

"Gandalf spoke to you about her?"

"Yes! This is a strange story. Can you believe that there was a prophecy that said that a woman from a different world would arrive in Middle Earth, marry an elven champion and give birth to reborn elves? Gandalf says it is her."

"Reborn elves?" Balin stopped eating, interested to hear about this astonishing notion.

"Gandalf said that elves are immortal. Their souls cannot perish. When they die, their spirits go to the land of the elves, in some halls, I do not remember the name. And they spend time there under the care of the elven god responsible of the dead, until he releases them to be reborn."

"Why would they be reborn and not the dwarves or the men?" Gloin asked, not understanding why the gods were showing such favoritism for the elves.

"I think the gods think they are a superior race that deserves to be reborn," the hobbit simply said. He almost jumped out of his skin when Thorin hit the table with his fist.

"Do not ever repeat such a thing," he threatened the poor Bilbo. "Elves are not superior to dwarves."

"Of course not!" Balin said to soothe their leader. "But why would the gods send reborn elves in Middle Earth?" he asked the hobbit, not sure if Gandalf had disclosed that information to the halfling.

"Apparently, their gods believe that this will encourage the elves to remain in Middle Earth and fight the growing darkness with the other races until it is completely vanished. Otherwise, most of them would sail to their land."

Thorin huffed between two sips of wine. He had to admit to himself, this wine was one of the best he had ever tasted. But he would never admit it out loud. "Elves will never help the other races," he mumbled. "They can leave, we do not need them."

"Gandalf thinks they will stay. So, there are five reborn elves by now, and a sixth is on the way."

All the dwarves, who had been listening to the conversation, turned to the table where the elflings were eating. It was true that none of them had their mother's red hair or her green eyes.

"Who are they?" Kili asked, curious.

"What would it change for us to know their names?" Thorin asked. "We know nothing of elven history."

This comment did not stop Bilbo, who absolutely wanted to share his amazement with his companions. "You see the two little females? One of them is Nimrodel and the other is Mithrellas, the elven ancestor of the princes of Dol Amroth."

"Nimrodel?" Dwalin asked, speaking with his mouth full, food coming out on his beard, horrifying the elves who were looking at him. "Like the river near the Misty Mountains?"

"It was named in her memory," Bilbo confirmed.

"I am certain the lords of Dol Amroth will collaborate with the elves if their ancestor was truly reborn," Balin assessed. Thorin agreed with him but did not said it out loud.

"The one with the white hair is the youngest one, he was born five year ago. He is the High King of the Noldor, Ereinion Gil-galad. The blonde boy beside him is King Oropher of Greenwood, father of King Thranduil. The dark haired one who is speaking to Lady Valerie is High King Turgon of Gondolin."

The dwarves didn't say anything. They may not know much of elven history, but no one in Middle Earth ignored who these three elven kings were.

Balin stared at Thorin. "The gods have been very strategic," he murmured. Thorin nodded. They had been indeed. Between Dol Amroth fighting for Mithrellas, Lothlorien for Nimrodel, Greenwood for Oropher and all the Noldorin elves fighting for Gil-galad and Turgon, they had truly made sure that the elves would be on every battle field to protect their former king or ancestor.

"There are two children that you have not named," Fili remarked.

"One is the grandson of Lord Elrond, he is the son of Elrohir and his mate Allison, the healer. The other child is a man, son of a Dunedain ranger."

"What is he doing here?" Thorin asked, watching said child as he gave a hug to Lady Valerie, who was still distributing kisses and caresses around the table regardless of the child being her own or not.

"He is an orphan being raised here. Gandalf said his mother never recovered from the death of her husband, and Lady Valerie is raising him with her children until his mother can take care of him again. Do you not think that it is very generous of her?"

Thorin would never admit that an elf could be generous, even if she were a half-elf.

"Who is Lady Valerie married to?" Balin asked, wondering how highly ranked her mate was.

"The captain of the Rivendell army. He is called Glorfindel. He is himself a reborn elf from Gondolin. He killed..."

"A balrog," Thorin finished for the hobbit. Lady Valerie was married to a warrior of great reputation. He truly had insulted her earlier that morning by saying they would never consider her worthy of an elf's love. She was bound with one of the greatest elves.

"How did she come here from a different world?"

"That is the best part. Gandalf went to get her with Lord Elrond through a portal. They brought her back _against her will,_ " the hobbit said, mortified for the wizard and the lord. "Her husband went back to her world to get the children she had already, and also brought back her sister."

"She was married against her will?" Thorin spat. The lady had purposely not mentioned that!

"Oh no, no! You are mistaken!" Bilbo informed them. "She chose him alright! Fell in love and everything! It was very romantic. She had three potential suitors, including the prince of Greenwood and the Marchwarden of Lothlorien. But she was already with child when she met them."

"Where are those children that she had before coming here?"

"One of them was killed by orcs. The other lives in Greenwood."

"When you will be done gossiping like old ladies doing tapestry," Gandalf's voice said behind them, "I know of a dwarf who needs to apologize to a very nice lady that I like very much."

"Who?" Balin asked.

"He knows who he is. The lady usually spends her evenings in the private garden. I can get him access once he feels ready. Please make sure it happens before we leave. I would hate for this problem to remain unresolved." On these last words, the wizard left them.

"Who was he talking to?" Fili asked, watching his companions.

Thorin shrugged. "I think the wizard finally lost it."

OoOoO

Valerie woke before dawn, wondering what had woken her up. The children were still asleep, and there were no servants working yet in the aisle where their apartment was located. She closed her eyes, hoping to fall back asleep quickly and benefit from one last hour of rest before another day started. She soon realized that she couldn't hear the quiet breathing of her mate. Glorfindel was in Imladris, he had arrived the previous evening. Why wasn't he in bed?

She sat on the bed and looked around in the darkness, but he was nowhere in sight. Did he have a nightmare again? His nightmares were fewer in number with each passing year, but were always appearing when something out of the ordinary was happening in his life. The arrival of the dwarves, and their barely hidden intent to go back to the Lonely Mountain could explain Glorfindel's stress. The risk that the dwarves would wake the dragon sleeping in the mountain was high, and having an enraged dragon flying in the Middle Earth sky could only end in catastrophe. Greenwood was very close to the Lonely Mountain, and should the dragon go there, what would happen to Phoebe, Thranduil, Legolas and all the Greenwood population?

She concentrated on her bond with him, looking for his feelings, wondering if he was fine or not. She immediately knew that he was not well. Wherever he was, he needed her support. She got out of bed, determined to find her husband. She wished that he would wake her when he had nightmares, but he cared so much for her that he preferred to live with his torment alone rather than making her lose some sleep while she could have given him the comfort he truly needed. He had always been selfless, and it was not changing with the years they had spent together.

As she was putting her warm dressing gown on, she noticed a shape on the balcony. She stood behind the curtains for a little while, observing him with worry. It must have been a bad nightmare indeed. Glorfindel was sitting on her favorite chair, forearms on his thighs, his face in his hands. He rubbed his forehead a few times. She gently opened the glass door to join him on the balcony.

"I apologize for waking you," he murmured, still hiding his face.

"It is not your fault. You made no noise whatsoever. I simply felt that you were no longer in bed." She stood behind the chair and put her hands on his tense shoulders. His skin was warm compared to her cold fingers. June nights were not hot in Imladris for the half-elves and the guests. "Why do you not wake me when sleep is evading you? I wish you would stop suffering in private!"

"Why would I share my misery? You do not need this burden on top of everything else."

From behind him, she put her arms around his chest and her chin on his right shoulder. "Because I am your mate. Our fëar are connected, and I can feel your torment, even when I am sleeping. You may as well wake me and let me know what is wrong, rather than leaving me alone in a cold bed without you."

"There is nothing to tell that you have not heard already. It is always the same..."

"Tell me again!" she insisted. She braced herself for gruesome and heartbreaking details of his final battle with the Balrog. It always distressed her, but her mate needed to talk about it, and talk about it again and again, until he finally was able to remember without feeling the pain almost physically.

Glorfindel sighed heavily and extended his hands in front of him, showing them to Valerie.

"My hands..." he whispered darkly. "My sword was scorching hot... The skin was red and bleeding... coming off my hands..." he said, moving his fingers as if he was testing if he still could use them. It was obvious that he didn't see his hands as they were today but as they had been on that terrible day. Burnt by the Balrog's fire and the scorching hot metal of his sword.

"My arms were angry red and black. The pain...," he panted, barely able to breathe. "I wanted to drop my sword so badly, end this pain... but the Balrog was going to kill the ellith and elflings who were escaping in the tunnel, you understand?" he cried. "It was me or them! I kept fighting..."

"You saved many lives that day, my love," Valerie softly said, walking around the chair and kneeling in front of Glorfindel. She took his hands in hers, and gently stroked his skin, as if her movements were erasing his former burn wounds. He eventually relaxed while she was brushing her fingertips against his skin, realizing that the soft touches could only mean that his skin was perfect. "Lord Elrond was born because you saved his young father while he escaped. You saved their bloodline."

"The dwarves... Their leader wants to go to the Lonely Mountain. That fool will wake the dragon!"

"He never confirmed that he wanted to go _inside_ the mountain."

"Oh, have no doubt that he will! Dwarves love treasures above all. This one wants his grandfather's gold, and the Arkenstone, and he is willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives in order to get what he wants."

"Maybe the dragon is dead? It has been 150 years since anyone has reported seeing it."

"Perhaps it is dead… if we are lucky. But I doubt it. Dragons are long-lived. And when these fools wake it… There will be destruction. There will be death. There will be fire, people dying, burning alive!"

"Can we stop the dwarves?"

"And keep them in the dungeons until their death? You want all dwarves to unite in order to attack Imladris? No, we have to let them go and hope that they will come to their senses before it is too late."

Valerie did not reply. Glorfindel was right. They could not keep the dwarves prisoners for months or even years. They could only hope that Mithrandir would prevent a catastrophe from happening.

"I will send a message to Phoebe to warn her," Valerie decided.

"Tell her to remain in the fortress. Under no circumstances should she go anywhere near Lake-town, or even in the forest. Tell her that I want her safe in the caves at all times, or at least, until we know what the dwarves are planning to do. Make sure that Thranduil knows about this too. He will keep her safe better than she can."

"I will." She took both his hands and started kissing them. "I love your hands. They are strong and agile. The skin in your palms is calloused, but the skin on top of your hands is so soft to the touch, like baby skin." There was still a hint of horror in his eyes. "Look at them," Valerie insisted, putting his hands against her chest.

His mind seemed to clear a little. "Against your skin... they seem to be back to normal."

"They are. They have always been. It was just a bad dream." She knew he would eventually come out of his semi-trance induced by the nightmare. And when he did, there was one thing that truly helped him being more grounded, more attuned to reality. "Your hands are what I like best on my skin," she purred. "That and your lips."

"The children will wake soon," he fought weakly, knowing where this was leading.

"We have plenty of time." She opened his right hand, and guided it to her left breast inside her dressing gown.

"Your skin is cold."

"It is always cold when you do not touch me. Please warm me up!" she whispered, stretching her back to be able to gently put her lips against his. "Love me, Glorfindel. Let us forget the dwarves, forget the evil in this world, and let us celebrate our love."

She kissed his lips sweetly, until she felt him become more alive under her attention. His mouth finally responded, kissing her back tentatively, as if he was testing if he could forget his horrible memories and make love to the elleth he cherished above all. He must have come to a positive conclusion, because he took a deep breath and deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth hungrily while his hands started feverishly caressing her breasts under her dressing gown.

"I want you," he murmured, moving his face back to observe her, his eyes detailing her, her body, analyzing her own desire. "I need you. Now."

She put her hand on his groin, knowing she would find an irrefutable proof of his desire. "Can we at least go inside? I do not want to cause a scandal," she said, knowing her mate hated being gossiped about.

Glorfindel took her arms and put them around his neck, before he carried inside her bridal style, his eyes never leaving hers. He gently put her down on the bed and removed her dressing gown before lying down beside her. She took the lead, knowing he still had not fully recovered yet. She knelt beside his body and bent her head over his, her hair flowing on both sides of his face, as if she was protecting him. She slowly licked his upper lip, feeling the twitching of his smile with the tickling sensation she was creating. She smiled too, and pressed the tip of her nose against his, something she liked to do with their children. Her playful mood relaxed him some more, and she felt his hands on her waist.

She took his lips again, this time demanding entrance, deepening the kiss until she could feel his tongue responding to hers. She put all her love in this kiss, her devotion, her respect for his unparalleled bravery. She moved the tips of her fingers along his naked arms and shoulders, following the powerful muscles, feeling the delicate duvet on his forearms. She observed him at the same time, enjoying his expression of desire, her power over him. She then moved her hands to his hairless chest, this time gently grazing his skin with her nails, from his shoulders to his abs, leaving little pink lines that would soon disappear. He shivered but kept watching her with undisguised interest, awaiting to see what her next move would be.

In one swift movement, she removed her nightgown and straddled his hips. She took both his hands, knowing he wouldn't remember his burns if he saw them on her own skin, and put them on her waist again, slowly moving them up to her bosom. He immediately closed his hands on her breasts, appreciating their shape and perfect fit in his hands, the softness of her skin, the hard nipples that wanted more of his attention. But she did not want that, not yet.

She moved his hands away from her, and lying on top of him despite her swollen stomach, she trailed light kisses from his neck to his ear, thoroughly licking the tip until she heard his groans and felt him move his lower body to create some friction on his groin.

"Not my ear," he mumbled, "I want you so much... you will make me come with just your caresses on my ear."

"Well then, let me lick something else," she purred seductively. Her mouth went back to his neck while her fingers started stroking his erected nipples. She rubbed them vigorously, knowing he liked a little bit of pain when he was aroused. She replaced her fingers with her mouth, gently sucking on a nipple at first, and then gently biting it.

"Valerie," he groaned.

"What?" she asked, putting on an innocent face. "I cannot touch your nipples either? Fine!" she said, sitting up straight before moving away from his lower body. He was breathless, anticipating what she would do next. There was one thing he truly liked, almost as much as plunging into her tight, warm, blissfully silky core. Something few ellith did but that Valerie liked performing on him regularly.

She did not even have to stroke his elfhood, it stood straight and swollen, the tip already leaking a little drop of semen. She had always liked the taste of his seed, a little sweet, so close to the scent of his skin, as if his body as a whole had a unique flavor, exclusive to him. She started licking his penis from bottom to top, carefully avoiding touching the tip, enjoying his sweet torment as he gripped the bed sheets.

"Please," he mumbled.

"Please what?"

"Do it!"

Valerie smiled. She believed she had successfully taken his mind off his traumatic memories. Glorfindel was back, back to his controlled self, back to his current life. He deserved a little treat for his efforts.

She engulfed the tip fully into her mouth, gently twirling her tongue around it, earning guttural grunts from her usually sophisticated mate. She moved repeatedly her mouth up and down, stroking the bottom of his penis with her hand, feeling his tumescent shaft grow even further as she stroked it even more firmly. For long minutes, she let his breathing and his throaty sounds lead her, guide the movements of her mouth and hand, as she listened to their increase in frequency and volume. She tasted more of his semen on her tongue, and knew he would not last much longer. She could either finish him like this, on this memorable fellatio, or stop now and make love to him. She could attempt to renew their bond herself. She had never initiated this ultimate intimacy between their fëar, it had always been the more experienced Glorfindel doing so in the past. But she felt that today, he truly needed her to step up and mend his hurt soul.

She made sure there was some saliva on his elfhood and straddled his hips once more, this time aligning his penis with her entrance. She slowly lowered herself, experiencing once more the fullness, the amazing friction created by the movement of his shaft inside her. She signed with contentment, stilling her movements when she was perfectly seated on him.

"Do not move yet," he begged, knowing he was hanging by a thread. The sight above him didn't help him to remain in control of his body. Valerie was splendid in the light of dawn, her cheeks flushed and her breathing rapid, desire making her gaze piercing as she watched him with delight, seeing the signs of how close she had brought him to his release. Her hair was hiding her left breast, and he could not stand that. He wanted to see her, to feel her completely. He gently moved the curly locks to her back, and stared at her sculptural body. Even pregnant, he found her forms extremely desirable, as if the Valar, when she was born, had known exactly what the reborn Lord of the Golden Flower would find erotic and absolutely irresistible, and had endeavored to give this all to his future mate.

"You are exceptionally beautiful," he said, still staring at her body.

Sensing he was no longer about to release himself into her, she put her hands on his shoulders and started a slow, agonizingly sweet movement of her pelvis, feeling her walls constricting around him. Feeling a delicious bolt of pleasure in her stomach, she accelerated the movements, looking for the same sensation, and moaned when she felt it again, but stronger.

"You feel so good," she whispered.

He didn't answer, but grabbed her hips and started to direct her movements, trying to create even more friction, more pleasure for them both. Valerie started lifting her body up and down, barely able to contain the moans as she felt that her peak was coming. Remembering what she wanted to do before it was too late, she observed Glorfindel, who now had his eyes closed and his back arched, lifting his hips to meet her movements in perfect harmony. He was close, she could tell, she could feel his excitement, the contraction of all his muscles with this impending release. Now was the time to try bonding their fëar, even if she was inexperienced in the matter. Glorfindel had never told her how he did it; she had always felt the caress of his fëa on hers.

Slowing down her movement a little, she closed her eyes, trying to ignore the delicious sensations, and concentrated her thoughts on her feelings for Glorfindel. The ellon she was sharing her life with. The only one who understood her so well, without even needing to exchange words. She always felt him in the back of her mind, guarding her, making sure that she was safe, that she was happy. He was her star, her anchor in this strange and scary world, the very air she breathed. Life without him was now inconceivable.

 _I love you,_ she almost yelled to him in her mind. She repeated the words like a mantra, trying to project her thoughts, her feelings for him through the movements of her basin, through the kisses she was showering him with, through the touch of her fingers on his shoulders.

She suddenly felt him jerk underneath her. He half-sat and grabbed her head, staring at her in amazement. "Are you... are you trying to renew our bond? To join our souls?"

She nodded, unable to speak, wondering if she had made a terrible blunder. Was this only initiated by husbands?

"I felt you, I felt the fluttering of your fëa on mine."

"Did you like it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Did I like it?" he repeated, perplexed. "I cannot believe that one so young as you has been able to accomplish this!" He pulled her face down and started kissing her feverishly, his mouth never leaving hers as he resumed his own movements, skillfully bringing them closer to the edge.

When her orgasm started, the incredible waves of pleasure flowing through all her body, his mouth muffled her delighted sounds. And she felt it, his soul wrapped around hers, protecting it, nurturing it with his passion for her. It heightened her bliss, making it physical and spiritual all at once.

She sobbed, unable to remain in control of her emotions after this display of his undeniable love. She heard his own groans of pleasure against her neck, felt the throbbing of his penis as he was releasing his seed inside her. They remained quietly like this, their limbs intertwined, enjoying the perfection and peacefulness of the moment.

"I know not what I did to deserve one such as you," he eventually said, breaking the silence.

"You must be jesting," she teased. "I am convinced that no ellon would like to be in your place and have to live with one as impulsive and emotional as I am."

"You are not so bad. I think I will keep you after all."

She pinched him as he chuckled. "Will you teach me? How to renew our bond?" she asked.

"I will," he promised. "This was the best gift you could give me. You are mine," he declared, pulling her closer to him, possessive of the one he loved above all.

"Yes," she confirmed, giving him a tender kiss. "I am yours."

OoOoO

The dwarves were watching a group of elven warriors getting ready to go at one of their borders. They all looked deadly, and although Thorin hated to admit it, he knew these soldiers were strong and would make powerful enemies. Lord Elrond's twin sons were part of the group, talking to each other while getting their horses ready, their sable hair almost blueish in the sunlight.

He was startled when he heard a deep voice behind him. "Thorin Oakenshield? A word, if you please?"

He turned around and saw the Imladris Captain standing in front of him. Of all the elven warriors, this one was the most impressive. Powerful arms and chest, taller than most, his demeanor was both calm and aggressive. How could one project such opposite statements all at once?

Around Thorin, some dwarves started protesting, thinking that the captain wanted to harm their leader.

"Worry not, I will not hurt him," Glorfindel told them. Although his tone was respectful, his words were mocking.

"State your business, Elf," Thorin replied regally. When Glorfindel looked at the others, Thorin understood it may be better to send his companions away. With a movement of his head, he had them all move out of earshot.

"You have been... watching my mate frequently."

"Is looking at someone not permitted anymore in elven realms?"

"I am unsure why you keep observing her like this. Each time she sees you, I can feel her annoyance. She did not share it with me, but I am sure you must have told her something that hurt her."

"And what if I did?" Thorin challenged.

"I can crush you, Dwarf," Glorfindel threatened as he towered over Thorin. "My mate is... most precious to me, and I do not tolerate disrespect when it comes to her. Heed my words, Thorin Oakenshield. Do not come anywhere close to her unless you are willing to make amends. If I come back to the city and hear that your conduct has been less than gracious, I will hunt you down in your mountains and make you regret the day you were born."

The dwarf knew that the captain meant every word. "And Gandalf tells me that elves are peaceful creatures! You are almost as nasty as the king of Greenwood," Thorin said, standing as tall as he could in front of the warrior.

"Elves are peaceful," Glorfindel informed him with an even tone. "Until some fool threatens their mate. Then, they become the most lethal of beings. Remember my words," he repeated darkly.

Thorin was about to reply when their attention was caught by the arrival of Valerie and her sister in the yard. The elf casually walked back to his stallion as if their conversation had been amiable.

Valerie was wearing a long red silk dress that advantageously covered her figure, making her pregnancy obvious but absolutely charming. Allison was speaking to one of Elrond's son, and Thorin had no idea how she could differentiate her husband from his twin. Valerie briefly chatted with the twins before joining her mate. She spoke to him softly and Glorfindel replied while caressing her cheek. Even without speaking their language, the dwarf knew that she had asked him to be safe, and that he had promised to come back unscathed.

Glorfindel mounted his stallion and placed his weapons comfortably on his back. Valerie touched his leg and spoke to him again, smiling but her eyes sad. For a brief moment, all in the yard saw his hesitation before he threw decency to the wind and bend down to give her a kiss while she stood on her tiptoes. Their gazes never left each other, and Thorin, although he would never admit it, was moved to read the extent of their love on their features.

Then the captain straightened his back and called for his warriors to follow him. The ellyn were gone within moments, leaving behind a few females including Valerie and Allison, leaning against each other as their husbands were disappearing from view. Their husbands must have looked at them one last time, because both ellith lifted their hand in a final greeting. But their spouses were too far for Thorin to see them clearly anymore. As soon as they dropped their hands, the smiles disappeared and anguished expressions appeared on the beautiful faces of the sisters. They embraced each other, exchanging, he had no doubt, words of comfort.

They finally turned around and walked back to the manor, passing by the dwarves who had been watching the scene. Valerie smiled to Bilbo who had been amongst the group and the hobbit followed the sisters with a familiarity that said it was not the first time that he made conversation with them.

Valerie completely ignored Thorin. He could not quite determine if her sulking was a direct result of her elven or human character. Either way, he still had to apologize. A dwarf was never discourteous to females of any race.

OoOoO

Valerie quickly looked at the three pages she had already written to her daughter. The eagles were in the area, and Lord Elrond had told her he could call them to carry a letter to Greenwood. She wanted to give him the letter as soon as possible, and had immediately started the long task of giving her daughter news of her numerous siblings. Not living in Imladris anymore, Phoebe was missing dearly all her little sisters and brothers and wanted regular and detailed accounts of their childhood. Three pages later, Valerie thought Phoebe would be satisfied with the report.

 _Your adar and I are very pleased to hear that you are pregnant with a little prince or princess of Greenwood, although I must admit I never imagined it would be so early in your marriage. I thought you enjoyed your life as a warrior too much to consider motherhood. But most of all, I am pleased to know that Thranduil is ecstatic. I cannot really picture him being ecstatic, but if you tell me he is, then I will believe you! How does Legolas feel about his adar fathering another child?_

 _I wonder if you will give birth on a human schedule, elven schedule or somewhere in between. Please do remind the healers that you may give birth earlier than they expect if they think your pregnancy will last 12 months! Your child will be about the same age than your future brother – how strange will that be? The good news is, Mithrandir is here and confirmed that this is the last child I will have as part of the prophecy. What a relief it is! Do not get me wrong, I love all your siblings more than you can imagine, but I think the Valar were thinking big when they settled for six reborn children! And that does not even count you, my dear daughter, and our beloved Adam._

 _Nine years already since he left us, and his absence is still creating this raw wound in my heart. Every night, we all pray the Valar that he is in the Halls of Awaiting and that Namo will release him one day. Even Turgon and Gil-galad pray for this, even if they do not know who is he. I have shown them the painting we have of you and him so they can know who they are praying for._

 _Now enough of this sadness, I promised your adar that I would try to only think of happy memories of him instead of longing in anguish. Glorfindel and I have carefully considered your request to send Mithrellas and Oropher to Greenwood for the winter. I cannot imagine spending 6 to 8 months without them, and to be honest, Sweetheart, my first inclination was to deny your request. But your father and I also thought about the others who miss them currently and do not have the chance of living with them on a continual basis. It is a sad thing that Legolas cannot leave his position as Captain of Greenwood to visit us until Mithrellas comes of age. The melancholy he feels, as you are describing it, is apparently typical for an elf separated from their fëa-mate. I can see it in Lord Elrond's eyes frequently, and he has confided in me many times about the great emptiness he experiences each time he sees something that triggers a memory of Lady Celebrian. I certainly do not wish this for Legolas, an ellon whom I like and respect very much. As for Oropher, I can certainly imagine what his presence would do for the people of Greenwood!_

 _Your father says these months, which will seem like an eternity to me, will be only a fleeting moment in my now eternal life. I must trust him on this. And so, I must accept that my children will be separated from me for a little while. Glorfindel has a request: could he bring them to the mountain pass, where a Greenwood delegation could take them from there? It will be very difficult for him to bring them up to Greenwood and come back to Imladris before the winter, before our child is born. Please send back an answer immediately if the eagles are still around when Thranduil confirms this._

 _Elladan will travel with them and has accepted to remain in Greenwood for the duration of their stay. It will be a familiar presence for them. Poor Elladan is bored here, between Elrohir and Allison's less than discreet relationship, and Arwen who is still in Lothlorien. She wrote me that she is planning to come back in the spring. If that is the case, then she will have missed the decade that Estel has spent here. The child is growing so fast as compared to your siblings! He cannot understand it! He looks older than your sisters, who are 10 years older than he is. He is such a courageous boy, supportive of his mother who is still very depressed, 8 years after the death of her husband. He is still being raised as one of my children, and I love him as such, since he spends more time in my presence and in our apartment than he does with his poor mother. I wonder what will happen to him when the Dunedain bring him back home. Will he be missing the tenderness of a female presence? Life in the human realms can be so cruel and difficult. I wish I could spare him this. I hope he will visit us on a regular basis once he is old enough to travel by himself. I am happy that I will have an elfling soon, who will keep me so busy that worrying for Estel will not be a regular occupation._

 _One last thing, before this letter become too heavy for an eagle to carry! We currently have visitors in Imladris. Can you believe that dwarves, led by Thorin, the king-in-exile, have been spending weeks here? They have some map that Lord Elrond needs to read on mid-summer's day. Their presence is quite annoying for the servants here, and I am constantly called to make decisions about their numerous and extravagant requests. It would not be so terrible if they were at least grateful for all we do for them, but alas, politeness is one of their weaker traits of character. Mithrandir says they will leave soon. Where they will go, he refuses to say. We are very worried that they will be the cause of some great catastrophe._

 _Lord Elrond and Glorfindel think they will attempt to enter the Lonely Mountain to reclaim it and the treasures it contains. You know what sleeps in this mountain, Sweetheart, and the Lonely Mountain is so close to Greenwood! Your father would like your mate to lock you in your room until the dwarves are done creating havoc, but I am sure you would find a way out faster than Thranduil could imagine. Please let the king and Legolas know that danger is coming to you, and that they must do what they have to do to protect their people and you in particular - the informal queen of Greenwood. I cannot believe that you are married to a king but refuse to be called Queen. You are living the dream of millions of little girls with this crown offered to you. I know I would not hesitate if Glorfindel was king! I knew that the warrior training would mess up something in that head of yours! The damages are repairable, I hope, so that one day, Thranduil can proudly parade in all Middle Earth with his beloved crowned queen!_

 _I love you, Phoebe. I wish I could see you before you give me my first grandchild, but I do not believe it will be possible. Be strong. You are about to begin an incredible adventure that will last an entire lifetime, although the first 50 years will be more difficult!_

 _Your loving mother,_

 _Valerie_

She sealed the letter and was about to leave the garden to bring it to one of the scholars when she realized that the dwarf leader was watching her from another corner of the garden. He must have been watching her for some time. He seemed to hesitate, but then started walking decisively in her direction. She braced herself for another long, chauvinist discourse about the superiority of the dwarves over the elves. She wished the ground would swallow him whole, but her wish was not granted.

* * *

A/N: I hope I was able to portrait properly the love Valerie and Glorfindel feel for each other! In the next chapter, the dwarves arrive in Greenwood, and Phoebe and Thranduil hit a major roadblock when she makes a foolish mistake… His most unpleasant side will come to the surface!

Fihunt: you will see Thranduil and Phoebe in the next chapter, there will be some interesting highs and lows there…

Maggie: Glad you found Thorin funny – you may not find him as funny in the next chapter, when he tries to apologize to Valerie for his previous behavior!

Paperlanterns86: you will see how reconciled Thranduil and Phoebe are soon – until they hit a wall…

Princessnera: I have to skip some scene and make time jumps or this story would be 500K words! But I promise that you will see a lot of their relationship in the next chapters, enough not to make you miss not having seen their binding!

Glassary: they are bound now, it happened shortly after her return from Greenwood. You will see more of Thorin's issues in the next chapter!

Shetan20: thank you for your review – I am glad to see that you like the story so far.

ColdOnePaul: Wow, I am happy to see that you have read it twice already! You are right about Feanor and Maglor, they would not have been welcomed as well as the other elflings due to the kinslaying their participated in. Although Maglor raised Elrond and Elros (first as captor and then acting as a parent), Elrond may have liked to see him again. But the sixth elfling will not be one of them – I have another surprise for my readers…


	20. Chapter 20 - Dwarves in the Dungeons

_Chapter 19 ended with:_

 _He seemed to hesitate, but then started walking decisively in her direction. She braced herself for another long, chauvinist discourse about the superiority of the dwarves over the elves. She wished the ground would swallow him whole, but her wish was not granted._

Chapter 20 – Dwarves in the Dungeons

He had been observing her for some time. She was sitting in the garden, writing with a black quill on multiple pages of parchment, slowly caressing her baby bump when she paused. Just by the slow movements of her hand, he knew she was writing using the strange elven characters. It seemed like such a peaceful moment for her, he would hate to interrupt it. But he had been stalling for days. Lord Elrond had promised to read his map on midsummer's night, and they would be gone soon after. It was now or never.

He had observed her from afar ever since his arrival a few weeks back. Stalking may be a better word, if he were honest with himself. He had watched her take care of her children, dance, play, talk with them, love them... even if they were not truly hers. Even the little orphan they called Estel. In that, she was an outstanding woman. He was not sure he could feel such love for children that were not even his own.

Frequently, he had observed the people who were coming to consult her at all times of the day, asking for advice, waiting for her directives, or to just chat with her. He may not be ready to admit that elves were good beings, but he knew that Lady Valerie was exceptional. Impulsive, hyperactive, stubborn, impatient... but also caring, generous, clever and strong, much stronger than the fragile females he could see around her. She was a good lady. Maybe her human side was making her such a remarkable half-elf?

His astonishment had further increased the week before, one morning right before dawn. From his balcony on the second floor of the guest aisle, he had a view over the first floor balconies in the aisle facing his. These rooms had windows, unlike most apartments in Rivendell. And sitting on a long chair on one of these balconies was a golden haired ellon, looking quite distressed, elbows on his thighs and his face hidden in his hands. Thorin had known who he was. Glorfindel of Gondolin, Lord of the Golden Flower, the legendary Balrog Slayer.

The ellon was not friendly by any stretch of the imagination. He was always serious and glacial, barely speaking with the people around him. But when he spoke, everyone around fell silent and listened, even Lord Elrond. Although Thorin did not speak their language, he had no doubt that only words of wisdom were coming out of his mouth. Never would he have imagined that this elf would have married the passionate and impulsive half-elven Valerie coming from a different world. He rarely touched her in public, unlike Elrond's son, who was constantly touching his wife Allison. Glorfindel treated his wife with respect and courtesy in public, more so than when he addressed the other ellith. But when being observant as Thorin had always been, you could notice that it was all in his eyes. These were much easier to read. Glorfindel's gaze was drawn to her person, always looking after her, always ready to protect her. Thorin had wondered what kind of relationship the two of them had when in private. They seemed incredibly mismatched. Was she happy which such a cold husband? He could not believe it.

He had had his answer that morning a few days back when Glorfindel had been on his balcony. Thorin had observed him for a while, wondering what was wrong with the ellon. Never could he have imagined that this brave elven hero could have such a look of distress on his elegant features. It had been towards the end of the night, and the ellon had appeared suddenly on the balcony, half dressed, and he had taken a few deep breaths holding on to the railing before finding his way to the chair where he had tried to calm down.

A little while later, Valerie had appeared behind her spouse, wearing a dark dressing gown with white fur on the inside, and had gently wrapped her arms around him from behind. She had given him comfort as if he was a child who had had a nightmare. Glorfindel had grabbed one of her arms and had talked for a long time, showing her his hands with something akin to horror on his features. She had knelt in front of him, taken his hands in hers and had kept speaking to him, had kissed him until the ellon's mood had switched to carnal matters. Glorfindel had quickly lifted his mate and had taken her back inside their apartment. He had reappeared later, definitely looking more relaxed, and Valerie had joined him, dressed for the day, their children coming in and out of the apartment and joining them on the balcony. They did not seem disquieted by the noises their children were making. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. He would never have expected this from this particular warrior.

The captain had left Imladris to go to the borders, but not without threatening him should he ever cause his wife some more grief. Said wife who was now in the garden, writing a letter with a smile on her face, obviously writing to a person dear to her heart. She folded the multiple parchments and looked around. She saw him.

He had been caught spying on her. Leaving would seem cowardly, and Thorin was not a coward dwarf. He walked up to her and she stood as he approached, her expression guarded.

"Lord Thorin," she greeted him politely.

"Lady Valerie," he returned.

"What can I do for you today?"

"I would like to talk, if now is a good time?"

"I do have some duties to attend to, but I can spare a few minutes. Please have a seat," she said, showing him a seat next to hers. She waved to a servant who was walking by and spoke to him briefly. The servant left in the direction of the kitchen. "I asked him to bring you a glass of beer. The sun is getting warm in the afternoon."

"I appreciate your kindness."

She stared at him, waiting for him to state his business.

He cleared his throat. "We will leave soon, my companions and I."

She nodded. "I will make sure that you have food and water for your journey."

"Thank you. I know we owe you all the small attentions we have received during our stay. We... I certainly do not deserve it. Not after my conduct on the day we met."

"You certainly were not the most courteous of men. To your defense, my sister had tricked you into thinking we were prisoners here."

"I made that assumption first. She just... ran with it and made a fool out of me."

"Why? Why do you hate elves so much? What have they ever done to you?"

"They let us down... When the dragon attacked our land, our home... He was there, sitting on his elk, his army behind him, watching from afar my people suffer. And he did not help us."

"Are you speaking of the king of Greenwood?"

"The one and only. Thranduil, Elvenking of Greenwood," he spat bitterly.

"Out of curiosity... Why did you expect the elves would come to your aid? Even if they never have been at war, elves and dwarves have never been close allies."

"He had sworn allegiance to my grandfather the king."

"The Elvenking? Are you sure we are talking about the same person? I have never heard about this oath."

"He did not truly say the words... It was... implied."

"Implied? How?"

"We had found the Arkenstone, the heart of the mountain. It gave us... supremacy over the other races. The king of Greenwood had come to pay us his respect."

"I thought I had heard you say that the elves thought they were a superior race."

Thorin did not answer, but glared at Valerie for her comment.

"Forgive my ignorance, I only arrived in Middle Earth 21 years ago, long after these events. I have no previous opinion on this matter. But from my humble point of view, it looks like the dwarves thought themselves superior at the time, asking an elven king to come show his respect as if he was a subject of the dwarves."

"He came to our realm."

"Maybe he was only curious to see this Arkenstone. Thranduil is very fond of jewels."

"Thranduil? You speak of him as if you know him."

"I do know him. He is... my son-in-law, as strange as it may sound."

"Your daughter is the queen of Greenwood?"

"Not exactly. She refuses to be crowned."

"She refuses, or he refuses to share the crown with her?"

"Lord Thorin," she replied coldly. "If you wish to continue this discussion, you will have to stop being so prejudiced. My daughter is a warrior, she has no interest whatsoever in ruling a realm. Her mate is simply respecting her wishes. Their love is true, and I will not listen to you if you are planning to tarnish it."

She defied him with her piercing green eyes. He hesitated a long moment, his hatred for the king of Greenwood difficult to put aside. He eventually was able to find his speech back.

"I will no longer speak ill of the king," he promised through gritted teeth.

"I thank you. Now, tell me, how desperate was the situation at the time? There are no dragons in my world. I cannot imagine the destruction they can cause."

And Thorin told her the story of the attack, how their fortress in the mountain and the city had been destroyed. So many people dead or injured, flames everywhere you looked, destruction, pain, screams... His people had found themselves homeless, looking for other realms to live in.

"This is a very sad story. Did your people find protection in other realms?"

"No one went to an elven realm, that is for sure!"

"Why?"

"Greenwood did not invite us, offer us protection."

"Would you have accepted?" she asked, skeptic, knowing the answer already.

"Never!"

"And so, you are affronted that an elven king your grandfather humiliated did not offer you protection in a time of need, a protection you would have refused regardless? This all seems to me like a big misunderstanding."

"He refused to fight the dragon with us."

"Lord Thorin, please answer my question honestly. If Greenwood's fortress had been attacked by a dragon, would you have run to their aid?"

Thorin's silence was very telling.

"That is what I thought," she sighed. "Listen, I care not about the past, I had no part in it. I am somewhere between two races, part human, part elvish, and I sincerely think that I can have a neutral opinion on this. Although my arrival here was quite troubling, the elves have been nothing but respectful and loving towards my children and I. They are also good allies of the Dunedain Rangers. Many men come here, looking for help, for protection, for health care. Everyone is helped regardless of their race, their wealth or their opinions, you know that by now. I have traveled to Dol Amroth and they are considered allies of the elves too, even if they are humans."

"Their ancestor is an elf," he argued. "Your reborn daughter."

"Yes, she is a faraway ancestor. It was too long ago for them to accept her return should the princes of Dol Amroth have hated elves as much as you do. Can their opinion be disregarded?"

Thorin huffed.

"I do not feel any opening on your side, Lord Thorin. Whatever I say, you are not ready to hear my words. This conversation is a waste of my time. It only seems to me that your family has lost all their power and treasures, and blames the elves for it instead of questioning their own responsibility in the events."

"That is not true!"

"Prove me wrong! Make peace with the elven leaders!"

"Never! I appreciate your efforts, your opinion is... different than mine, and I will surely reflect on your words for months to come. But as of now? Nothing changes."

"This saddens me. I had hoped that common grounds could have been found."

"It was not realistic to think that a few minutes together would change an opinion I have had for decades."

The servant finally came back with a glass of beer for him, and what looked like juice for her.

"I think you are a very special elleth, Lady Valerie. You are not like anyone I have met before."

"I guess you could expect no less from someone coming from a different world."

"You certainly do not act like any female of any race I have met before. I was wondering why you practice archery, since your husband is a warrior and is obviously very protective of you?"

"I was practicing archery before I met him. He even trained our oldest daughter in sword combat and archery. He is very open-minded, more than most people I have ever met."

"I am surprised the king of Greenwood would marry a warrior."

"You do not know Thranduil," Valerie reiterated. "And why do you say my mate is protective?"

"We had a little discussion him and I, on the morning he left."

"Really? What did he say?"

"Nothing I care to repeat. But... I believe he loves you greatly."

"Our bond is very strong," she admitted. "I can only wish that you will find a special person one day too."

"I hope not. Not before I have regained my kingdom."

It was the first time that the dwarf was openly admitting what his goal was. He seemed to realize his blunder, and watched her warily.

"We suspected it," she conceded.

"Will you inform your lord and try to stop me?"

"No. I am just begging you to be cautious. You may wake something no one can control, not even Mithrandir!"

"Great sacrifices must be made sometimes!"

She stood, angered by his words. "Sacrifices? You know nothing of sacrifices! You lost your gold, you lost your crown? What about the people who died decades ago because of your greed? What about the people who were burned by the flames of that dragon, wounds that can never heal? How many innocents will burn alive again because you want to get your precious Arkenstone back?"

"The Arkenstone is the most important treasure of Middle Earth!"

"The Arkenstone is stained with the blood of innocent people! I hope it will never be found, least of all by you!"

They defied each other for a few seconds.

"I do not believe we have anything else to say to each other. Please do not approach me or anyone of my family again. Farewell, Thorin Oakenshield. Should our paths cross again, I hope you will have finally come to your senses and that your conscience will be at peace with your actions."

She simply stood there, waiting for him to leave. The servant came closer, and asked her if she needed help.

"No, Lord Thorin will leave the private garden without an... escort."

Thorin stood and took one last glance at her. She looked absolutely enraged, and her red dress only made her look more aggressive and vengeful. He wondered if the Lord of the Golden Flower would hunt him down to kill him after this conversation. It was clear that he had upset her beyond Lord Glorfindel's wildest dreams.

He nodded to her and left the garden, not looking back.

Valerie and Thorin would never meet again.

OoOoO

 _Greenwood, Year 2941 of the Third Age_

 _August 24_ _th_

Thranduil looked at the heavy letter a servant had just brought him. It was addressed to Phoebe, and sealed with the Golden Flower crest using green wax. In there was the answer that his family had been hoping for – would Valerie and Glorfindel allow Oropher and Mithrellas to spend the winter in Greenwood?

"Please tell my wife that I am expecting her in my office as soon as she can join me," he told the servant while nervously fanning himself with the letter. Noticing that the servant was observing his agitation, he carelessly threw the letter on his desk.

"I would like to see her sometime in this century," he coldly reminded the servant.

"I will go get the queen," the servant replied, bowing respectful.

"Make sure to never call her that when she is present," the king reminded him before the servant opened the door.

"No one will ever, Majesty. But you must know that our people give her the title regardless, out of respect for her and for you." He bowed again and left the office.

Thranduil was attempting to continue reading the report he had been working on before the letter had been brought to him, but found his level of concentration was not optimal. He leaned back against his chair, waiting for the arrival of his young wife.

Within a few years of marriage, she had managed to monopolize a considerable amount of his thoughts, awake or asleep. He would find himself thinking of her in the middle of council meetings, when reading his correspondence, or even when servants were talking to him. In a small amount of time versus the thousands of years of his existence, she had become his focal point, the axis around which his life was revolving. It had required great humility for him to accept what he considered a loss of control over his life.

And now, she was carrying an heir. In her womb, a new life was growing, result of the union of Oropher's line and of a singular half-elf with modern qualities. What a remarkable child it would be.

He heard the faint noise of the door connecting his office to their apartment, and the soft sounds of heavy silk and naked feet on the stone floor. His wife had started wearing dresses once her leggings had no longer been able to accommodate her growing belly.

His full attention now on his mate, he did not hear the opening of the main door and Legolas coming in. The prince stopped when he saw his adar's new wife walk around his chair with a charming smile on her face.

"You wanted to see me, my king?" she purred.

"It is about time that you address me properly, young one," his adar replied regally, taking her hand and guiding her to sit on his lap, before he not-so-regally put a hand on her belly and one directly on her left breast, finding its familiar way under the green corsage. Thranduil greeted her with a passionate kiss exactly where her heart was beating while Phoebe emitted a provocative, throaty laugh.

Groaning internally, Legolas realized he must make his presence known before he saw more of his new mother-in-law than he ever wanted. Already, his father's hand was moving downwards, lifting up her skirt. It was now or never.

"Adar?"

In an instant, Thranduil was sitting straight on his chair while Phoebe was standing beside him, rearranging her bodice.

"How long have you been here?" the king asked, displeased to have been seen in a moment of weakness, even if it was in front of his son.

"Not long. Worry not, I have not seen anything I should not have," he reassured his father with a grin.

"There is a letter for me?" Phoebe asked, seeing the parchment with her name on it. She grabbed it on the desk and broke the seal before either ellyn had time to say a word.

Thranduil gestured to his son to take a seat and wait until Phoebe was done to state his business. The future mother was quickly scanning through the multiple pages too fast to be reading with attention, walking around with a smile on her face.

"Will you not read it carefully?" her husband asked.

"I will read it with great attention later! I just want to know if Mithrellas and Oropher will be coming this winter!"

Both ellyn were also very eager to hear the answer. Thranduil fought his urge to grab the letter and read it himself.

"There it is!" Phoebe cried. "She would miss them... She worries for Legolas... bla bla bla... Father convinced her!" she soon cried. "He is asking if we can send an escort half way, near the Mountain Pass as he cannot bring them here himself."

"I will go," Legolas assured his adar. He was already imagining meeting Mithrellas and bringing her back to his realm. Great protection would be required. He would only bring his best warriors. He would leave Hadron, his lieutenant, to guard the forest in his absence, and would bring Brethilon and Cadworon with him. They were usually guarding Phoebe, but in the state she was in, she had stopped going in the forest many months ago.

"Elladan will spend the winter with us too," Phoebe added.

"If it is a condition for their visit, I can live with that," the king said, a little annoyed. He wondered why Elrond was sending his son. What information was he trying to get?

"Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed, frowning. "My mother wrote a last minute note, at the bottom of the last page. A party of dwarves and a hobbit have spent many weeks in Imladris. They think they want to take back their fortress in the Lonely Mountain."

"Impossible," Thranduil commented.

"She spoke to their leader, before they left. A dwarf named Thorin Oakenshield."

"You have to be kidding me," Thranduil groaned, massaging his forehead as if he was suddenly suffering from a massive headache.

"She says he hates elves, and you in particular, Thranduil. She is afraid he will wake the dragon, and she believes he cares not if innocent lives are lost. She is begging me to be careful."

"You will not have to be. Thorin Oakenshield will never set foot in my realm."

"He is here, Adar," Legolas said with a dark voice.

"Who is here?" the king asked.

"Thorin Oakenshield. With his company of dwarves. Although I have not seen a hobbit."

"Where are they?"

"Being guarded, in the throne room. I was not sure if you wanted to put them in the dungeons, or receive them as guests."

"Bring the dwarves to guest rooms, guarded of course, and leave Thorin in the throne room. I will go speak to him."

"I have never seen a dwarf! Can I go see him too?" Phoebe asked seriously. It was customary for her to be presented to their visitors.

"No! You will not go anywhere near them!"

"I am a warrior!" she reminded him, furious that she was being treated like a feeble elleth.

"A warrior with child, my sweet love," the king reminded her. "The life you carry is of extreme importance for this realm. You must protect it at all costs, including not satisfying your curiosity. Come, Legolas!"

Legolas smiled apologetically to his father's wife and followed his adar. She turned around and went back to their apartment to sulk and prepare a plan to be able to meet this most interesting Thorin Oakenshield.

OoOoO

 _Greenwood, Year 2941 of the Third Age_

 _September 21_ _st_

It had been weeks that the dwarves were in the fortress, and she had not even glimpsed at any of them, for the simple reason that they were prisoners in the dungeons. Their leader had refused to tell Thranduil what his plans were, and as a consequence, he was spending time behind bars until his determination abated. His companions had quickly joined him. There was no trace of a hobbit, even if Valerie had mentioned one. The dwarves were surprisingly silent about him, so no one knew if he was dead or alive.

Phoebe was determined to meet Thorin despite her husband's refusal. With this goal in mind, she had waited for Legolas and Thranduil to be in a council meeting for the entire afternoon to execute her very simple plan. She had told her servant that she wanted to rest for the afternoon and not to wake her until it was time to get ready for dinner. Once the royal apartment was quiet, she silently opened the door and looked in the hallway to see if there was anyone in view. She was in luck, no one was there. She came out of the royal aisle and reached the common area where no one knew she was supposed to be resting in bed. A few elves greeted her respectfully, and she returned their greetings with a nod, as if she was on her way to the garden. But instead of walking in the direction of the gate, she turned into a dark hallway leading to even darker stairs going down deep in the mountain. The dungeons.

A guard was standing near the stairs, and he eyed her questioningly before moving away to allow her to pass. Phoebe smiled internally. Thranduil had obviously not imagined that she would disobey him, and had not told the guards to forbid her entrance to the dungeons. This was a good start.

"You can take a break. I will guard the prisoners until you return," she told him. "The king has sent me to question them. He thinks that they will open up to a fragile, pregnant elleth."

The warrior smiled, knowing that the so-called fragile elleth was the deadliest female warrior in Middle Earth. He bowed and left for a well-deserved pause.

She went down the stairs, guiding herself by touching the cold, humid wall. The torches were too far apart for her weaker eyesight, and with her huge belly, she could not even see where she was putting her feet. Thranduil would be furious if she tumbled down the stairs while she was carrying his second heir. She slowed down her progression, and eventually arrived at the bottom of the stairs. She looked around for another guard, but could not see one. Was Legolas so sure of the security of the dungeons that he was only placing one warrior at the top of the stairs? This was too good to be true!

Just as she was about to turn a corner, she saw something strange, something like a pile of clothes on the ground. As she got nearer, she realized it was a small man, a very small man who was sleeping curled up in a ball.

 _Is he a dwarf?_ she wondered. The man was short indeed, but he was not hairy, except for his huge, naked feet. _A hobbit,_ she realized. _The missing hobbit. How did he get passed the guards? Had he been in the fortress since the arrival of the dwarves?_

The kitchen staff had complained that food was disappearing but Thranduil had dismissed it as vague impressions, since none of his elves would steal food. Food was available to all, it was not being rationed – except for the dwarves, who were only getting a small meal a day. She had heard Thranduil joke with a councilor that some of them were losing excess weight and that it was good for their health.

She crouched and gently shook his shoulder to wake him up. The little being jumped with alarm and immediately sat, backing away from her. They observed each other in the semi-darkness.

"Lady Valerie?" he asked, uncertain. "What are you doing here?"

"I am not Valerie," she replied. "I am her daughter, Phoebe. Are you the hobbit who went to Imladris? The companion of the dwarves?"

"Yes. I was friends with your mother. You look some much like her – except you look a little more like an elf. And you are pregnant too! When will you have your baby?"

She was puzzled to see that despite having been caught hiding in the dungeons, he was having a conversation with her as if they were acquaintances who cared for each other. He did not seem to see her as a threat. Better let him have that impression for now.

"The healers do not know. If I gave birth on a woman schedule, I will give birth in two months. On an elleth schedule, it would be in four months. Uncertainty is the lot of the half-elves."

"Yes, your mother described the differences between elves and men, and how she is somewhere in between."

"Yes. I am closer to the elves in many regards, because I grew up as a half-elf. I guess my case is better than hers!"

The subject having been covered, they kept staring at each other.

"What are you doing here? You never answered me before. Do you need some help?" she asked, hoping he would eventually tell her what his plans were.

"Would you help me?" he asked, hopeful.

"What kind of help do you need?"

"My friends are here, prisoners of your king. They have done nothing wrong. Please, my Lady, please, help me free them. We will be on our way in no time. You will never hear from us again."

Phoebe took on a very convincing expression. "You are a friend of my mother! Of course I can try to help, although I am not sure how? I am just a pregnant elleth..."

"I have found the key of their cells. I am planning to help them escape by putting them in the empty wine barrels that you are sending through the river."

"How would you do that?"

"By mid-afternoon, the elves working in that area are usually drunk. They will never see this coming."

"Why do you need my help then?"

"Make sure that the guards do not arrive while we are escaping. That would not endanger you in any way. But if they hear a commotion, find an excuse, delay them. All I need is a few minutes."

She had to give it to him, he had planned well. He had taken weeks to observe their habits, had found their weaknesses. She was sure Thranduil would be unforgiving for the elves in charge of the wine cellar. Even if the hobbit was friendly and cared for her well-being, she simply could not help him. She was married to the king of Greenwood, for crying out loud! What would happen if he found out she had helped his prisoners escape?

She could not let this happen. In a flash, she took out the knife she had been hiding in her boot, and grabbed the little man, putting her blade against his throat. One moment she had him under control, the next he had suddenly disappeared. Surprised, she opened her arms, and felt something invisible move away from her.

What had just happened? The hobbit had disappeared in a flash! And what if he executed his plan now?

"Guards! Guards!" she yelled, calling the warrior she had dismissed, shouting for anyone who could hear her call for help. But she did not hear anything. She looked everywhere in the darkness, but truly could not see anything. She walked further away in the hallway, and saw all the dwarves behind bars, all watching her warily. Surely there was no way that the hobbit could make them escape while she went back up the stairs to alert a warrior, right?

She turned around and ran as quickly as she could. She climbed the stairs with difficulty, carrying her belly, out of breath almost immediately. At the top of the stairs, the guard was not back. She had to reach the first bridge before she met the first group of warriors.

"Quickly! The dwarves are escaping!"

In an instant, the group had unsheathed their twin blades and were running in the direction of the dungeons. She followed behind as fast as she could, swearing in English, unhappy that her pregnancy was limiting her capabilities.

When she arrived in the dungeons, it was too late. There were no more dwarves in the cells, and there was a commotion in the area of the cellars. The warriors were staring at the bottom of the falls, where many barrels could be seen floating away in the current.

Some of the warriors ran in the direction of the stairs, clearly intending to go out and try to catch the barrels. She estimated their chances of success to be anywhere between low to non-existent. The other warriors were arguing with the intoxicated elves who had let the dwarves escape by their carelessness.

She wondered if her own carelessness had caused their escape too. If she had not sent the guard away... it wouldn't have happened. He would have heard the commotion, and would have killed the hobbit before it was too late. To her growing horror, she realized she would be blamed for their escape.

She did not have time to come up with some sort of arguments mitigating her responsibility. She saw Legolas appear at the bottom of the stairs, followed by a clearly furious king, who frowned when he saw her.

"Go back to our apartment," he told her in the most commanding tone he had ever used when addressing her. This tone did not bode well for her.

OoOoO

"You are by far the most immature of my subjects!" Thranduil declared, adding another insulting phrase in his long tirade to punish her. No arguments had moved him, not even the description of the disappearance of the hobbit. In fact, she was pretty sure her mate thought she was a liar on top of a silly elleth. He had been chastising her for more than an hour, and by now, she felt like crying. But she would not do so, not after having been called immature by her own husband. At least, her humiliation was private.

"I am not one of your subjects! I am your wife!" Somehow, she still found some will to rebel.

"You became one of my subjects when you bound yourself to me," he stated, clearly pronouncing each word. "I should have known that you were too young. 27 years old! You are still a child, carrying a child to make matters worse."

Thranduil seemed extremely disappointed. He was rubbing his forehead, his long hair partially hiding his face. The dwarves had escaped. The king was not happy with Legolas either. The lack of guards around the dungeons was unforgivable. Furthermore, the fact that a warrior had accepted to be relieved from duty by the pregnant wife of the king was a sign that the captain of the army had no control over his guards. A pitiful army it was, one that could not even capture slow dwarves as they escaped. Thranduil had saved all his angry shouting for his son. He had only shown hurtful disappointment to his mate.

"My love..." she started.

"Do not call me this way. In fact, do not speak to me. Go to your private rooms, and do not come out until I tell you so. Today, you have shamed me in front of all my subjects, in front of all Middle Earth. The dwarves will laugh at me for centuries to come, thanks to your foolishness."

He turned his back on her and served himself a glass of wine. She stared at him, unable to believe what he was saying. She had seen him being cold, being sarcastic, being mean, but never, never had he been like this with her.

He suddenly turned around. "Get out of my sight!" he yelled.

She bolted and ran back to her apartment, this time unable to hold her tears.

She did not see her husband for many weeks after this.

* * *

A/N: Phoebe and Thranduil had a peaceful and loving relationship until her curiosity took over and she caused the escape of the dwarves. Who will win their battle of wills?

Glassary: the dwarfpocalypse is about to happen – and all because of Phoebe… What do you think it will take for Thranduil to forgive her?

Shetan20: in the next chapter, Phoebe will try to assert herself – I hope you will like that!

Paperlanterns86: there will be a serious fight between them – guess who will win in the end?

Fihunt: the sixth elfling will be soon – in a few chapters actually. A lot will happen between the royal couple before we get to that!

ColdOnePaul: Valerie will want to have her own children with Glorfindel, that's for sure. But I have some major drama before that happens…

Maggie: you will soon see the child that Phoebe will have. Can't tell you the gender yet…

Aralinn: Thorin, in the end, was not convinced by Valerie, and the events of The Hobbit will take place. With a little help from Phoebe, unfortunately for her!


	21. Chapter 21 - Pursuits

_Chapter 20 ended with:_

 _He turned his back on her and served himself a glass of wine. She stared at him, unable to believe what he was saying. She had seen him being cold, being sarcastic, being mean, but never, never had he been like this with her._

 _He suddenly turned around. "Get out of my sight!" he yelled._

 _She bolted and ran back to her apartment, this time unable to hold her tears._

 _She did not see her husband for many weeks after this._

Chapter 21 - Pursuits

 _Greenwood, November 2_ _nd_

"My Lady?"

Phoebe looked up from her book.

"I know I should not tell you... But if I were in your place, I would like to know." The servant really seemed conflicted.

"What is it?" It must have been important news for her servant to dare disobey the direct orders of the king.

"The dwarves who escaped from the dungeons... They woke the dragon. Smaug destroyed Lake-town yesterday."

Phoebe closed her eyes, stunned that the worst case scenario had actually happened. How many people had died because of her? Because of her foolishness? These last few weeks had allowed her to do some introspection about her life, about her role in the kingdom, about her own character and lack of maturity. She had always considered herself an adult, but in comparison to the other elves, who were centuries or millennia old, full of wisdom and experience, she was nothing more than a baby. This very depressing analysis had made her wonder how her relationship with Thranduil would evolve after this.

He had not desired her presence since the escape of the dwarves. She missed him, and wondered how he could live without her, without being with her. Did that mean that they were not truly fëa-mates? Or more simply that he had absolute control over his impulses? Either way, this was no good news for her. Glorfindel would never have done this to her mother after their bonding. Never.

"Where is the dragon now?"

"A bowman miraculous killed Smaug. But not before the town was entirely destroyed. The people who survived have asked the king for help."

"To take the homeless in? To find protection in Greenwood?"

"Not exactly. They want the dwarves to compensate them financially for their lost town. The dwarves got their treasures back, they are the richest people in Middle Earth now."

"I assume that the dwarves refused?"

"Yes, they did. The people of Lake-town asked the king to help them convince the dwarves."

"How?"

"The king has ordered our army to get ready to besiege the Lonely Mountain."

"What?"

"Our warriors will go fight the dwarves, to force them to share their treasures with the people of Lake-town... and I believe with us too."

This news was so outrageous, Phoebe wondered if she should believe it. Then, she remembered that Thranduil had always loved jewels, and he had once described the riches he had seen in the mountain; the greed in his eyes as he was describing the treasures had been disturbing. There was also the not-so-small matter that Legolas had mentioned to her, about Thranduil having been somehow forced by the dwarves to give them diamonds that had belonged to his naneth. Was her mate trying to get these diamonds back? Did he desperately want the heirlooms of his first wife? Did he actually miss her?

"I need to speak to my husband," she told the servant.

"I am sorry, I cannot let you out of your apartment." Her servant was truly desolate. Everyone loved the king's mate, even after the mistake she had made and the devastating consequences. To most of them, she was barely an adult, who required more guidance than punishment.

"Then, please tell him that I would like to see him."

"I will, my Lady. Let us hope that he will acquiesce to your request this time around." Phoebe had requested to see him many times in the first weeks. She had stopped by now, understanding his anger had not abated.

Phoebe barely slept that night, listening to the sounds in the fortress, reassured that the army had not left yet. In the morning, she observed from her window the army getting ready to leave. Legolas was leading them, Thranduil's elk was also being prepared. Valar, Thranduil was going to go fight too! He was going to leave without saying goodbye!

Just then, she heard the door of her private rooms open and her husband walked in, putting on his leather gloves. He was wearing some pieces of armor above his tunic, and a silver circlet instead of his crown.

She took a second to observe him. How she had missed him! She barely contained the impulse to run into his arms. She craved his love, his touch, his presence. Was it the same for him?

"I heard you wanted to see me?" he asked impatiently. "Please state your business, I need to go."

"Why are you doing this, Thranduil? Why are you keeping me away from you? Why are you going to war against the dwarves?"

"I have my reasons that you can hardly comprehend. Now, was that all?"

Such coldness! Such indifference! Her heart broke.

"Thranduil, please! For us! Do not go!" she cried, walking to him to put her arms around him.

He pushed her away more gently than she expected. "I truly did not expect you to understand." He turned around and walked back to the door.

"Thranduil!" she cried again.

He looked at her, and for a fleeting moment, she saw that he was missing her as much as she missed him. His pride, his accursed pride, was in their way. Could she live with an ellon who considered his reputation more important than their relationship?

"Take care of yourself," he said, pointing at her belly. "I will be back soon."

"Thranduil, if you go... There will be consequences," she stated, trying to find the strength to defy him, to show him that she was his equal in this relationship.

He smiled, a strange, provoking expression on his face. "I will see you in a few days, you and your... consequences."

She threw a vase against the door he had closed behind him. How dare he laugh at her like this!

And then she realized... if she did not keep her word... he would never take her seriously again. She may be millennia his junior, but it was no reason to treat her that way. Once again, she compared her relationship with her parents'. Valerie had been just a few years older than Phoebe was today when she had married Glorfindel. And their relationship was nothing like hers.

She suddenly longed to be home with them, in Imladris. She dreadfully missed her parents, her siblings. Why stay here, when Thranduil could not care less about her presence? Why ask her parents to send Mithrellas and Oropher to Greenwood, when she could go to Imladris?

Thranduil would never let her leave, she realized. If she wanted to go, she had to leave now, while Thranduil was away. And she would only come back once he was ready to make amends.

Only when her baby moved did she realize that her pregnancy was going to be a major obstacle. She could give birth anytime now. And Imladris was so far away!

"What do you want to do, baby?" she asked, caressing her belly. "Do we stay and hope that your adar will forgive me soon? Or do we go in the hope that the separation will bring him to his senses?"

The baby gave her a little kick.

"I agree. My adar must already be on his way to the Mountain Pass. If we hurry, we will meet them halfway. And he will bring us back to Imladris. My mother will be there. She will take good care of us, you will see! I am sure you will love her."

She had no idea when Thranduil would be back. It could take a few days, or many weeks. She had to leave as soon as possible if she wanted to have a head start. Should he come back quickly, he would catch up with her... and she would not see her parents. And they would never be on equal footings in their relationship.

She started planning for her journey. She had to be gone within the week.

OoOoO

Thranduil had ensured that two warriors would keep an eye on his wife while he was away. Cadworon and Brethilon had turned the fortress upside down once Phoebe's servant had announced that she was missing. The stables master had then reported that the king's mate had left with her mare early in the morning. Everyone waited for her to come back from her ride, but by nightfall, they realized something was wrong. They searched the forest for many days, worried that she had hurt herself or that her mare had been injured, and that she was waiting for a rescue party.

They finally found her tracks, going in the direction of the forest road. She was not lost or in trouble in the forest. She had deliberately left Greenwood. They were not too surprised that the daughter of the Lord of the Golden Flower would leave Greenwood after the past weeks she had had to endure. But to do so alone, almost 9 months pregnant, was folly.

Brethilon and Cadworon came back to the fortress, grabbed supplies and more weapons, and went after her. At that point in time, Phoebe had a head start of four days.

When Thranduil came back from the Lonely Mountain, with a chest full of diamonds but having lost a lot of warriors, he heard that his wife had left the fortress ten days before. His son, his best warriors and himself rested briefly before getting ready to leave Greenwood. The king was beyond himself. His pregnant mate had been alone in the forest for more than a week, and the warriors that had gone after her had not brought her back yet. Anything could have happened to them.

OoOoO

 _Western side of the Mountains_

 _Camp of the Imladris elves_

"They are late. What could have happened?" Valerie asked her mate.

They were sitting by a fire with Allison, Elrohir and Elladan. A few steps away, Mithrellas and Oropher were searching for four-leaf clovers, an activity that their sister Phoebe had liked before them. Ten warriors were guarding the camp.

They had arrived near the mountains a week before. They had traveled slower than anticipated since Valerie had insisted to journey with her children, wanting to be with them until the last possible moment. As a result, they had arrived at least five days later than anticipated. If their count was right, the Greenwood party was 12 days late.

"Maybe they were here and left since we were not there?" Allison guessed.

"This is unlikely," Glorfindel replied. "They would have stayed a few days, and then, they would have started the journey to Imladris."

"Are you sure you understood the king's message properly? Maybe they are expecting us on the eastern side of the mountains?"

Valerie glared at her brother-in-law, who had dared make such a comment.

"I read his message myself," Glorfindel said, putting a calming hand on his mate's arm. "We are not wrong. They should have been here, on the western side, 12 days ago."

Valerie shivered in her fur cloak. It was November after all, and winter was fast approaching. Allison and her were suffering from the cold, but it was a consolation for them to know that the two elflings who were with them were as comfortable as on a warm summer night.

"What should we do next?" Elladan asked. "Maybe my brother and I should start climbing the mountain pass."

"I think we should turn around," Allison said. "It is getting colder. Valerie is near her term. If we do not want her to give birth in the woods, we will have to head back to Imladris."

"The children will be disappointed," Valerie whispered.

Mithrellas had been very excited to spend time in Greenwood. At age 20, she still had the body of a 10-year-old, but she was old enough to have developed a strong friendship with Legolas, the son of her sister's mate. Each time Valerie was sending a message to Phoebe, Mithrellas made sure to send a drawing or a small letter to the prince, who frequently sent back letters of his own. To her shame, Valerie had a few times read his first letters, and had been reassured that Legolas was only discussing about his life guarding the forest, giving her information on his realm, and giving advice on which books she should read. Nimrodel had never understood why Mithrellas was corresponding with Phoebe's stepson. It was a sore point between the two sisters, who were otherwise very close.

"Allison is right. I would rather have disappointed children than having you give birth in a tent, in the cold. We will head back to Imladris tomorrow."

Valerie knew Glorfindel was being reasonable. He was thinking about her security. She nodded in agreement. She hoped that it did not mean that a tragedy had hit Greenwood.

The next day, she was awoken by Glorfindel who was gently shaking her. Beside her, Oropher and Mithrellas were still sleeping, having cried a long time in the night when they had heard that their visit to Greenwood was being canceled.

"There are three horsemen making the descent from the pass. They are elves, although we cannot identify them yet. The twins went ahead, along with a few of our warriors," Glorfindel whispered.

"Only three warriors? I expected Thranduil to send a bigger escort!"

"I am at a loss too. I will not let my children travel on the forest road with only three warriors to protect them. Get the children ready regardless. Maybe these are the scouts and more warriors are on the way."

Valerie woke the children and made them eat some bread and dried fruits while Glorfindel was worriedly watching the three Greenwood warriors and the twins as they made their way up. He hissed when he realized that one of the elves had copper hair.

"Phoebe is here," he said, and Valerie lifted her head to watch her mate, speechless.

"She cannot, she is pregnant!" Allison cried. "It would be too risky!"

"Well, she is here. And I would like to know why my daughter crossed the mountains, pregnant up to her ears, without being protected by her mate or by his son!" Glorfindel's tone did not bode well for said ellyn once he saw them next. He asked the warriors to protect his family before jumping on his stallion to climb the path where his daughter was now discussing with Elrond's sons.

Two hours later, they were welcoming Phoebe and two Greenwood warriors in their camp. Valerie opened her arms and received her crying daughter against her chest. People around looked at the awkward hug of two pregnant ellith.

"Why is she here?" she silently mouthed to her husband.

"She would not say to anyone but you," he mouthed back.

Valerie pushed her daughter away to look at her face, drying her tears with her thumbs. "Are you hungry, Sweetie?"

"No, but I am tired. I would like to lie down a little. My back is aching, you have no idea how badly it hurts."

"Come," Valerie said, guiding her daughter to her tent. She helped her to lie down on her cot and caressed her hair gently while observing the exhausted face of her daughter.

"I am here now, your adar is here too. All will be well from now on."

Phoebe burst into tears, tears of sadness, and relief.

Valerie kept caressing her hair. "Tell Mommy what happened, Sweetie." Valerie knew her daughter would not have made the journey alone if something terrible had not happened in Greenwood.

"I left Thranduil. I want a divorce," her daughter said pathetically.

"Now, now, you know that divorce does not exist for elven bindings. But what did the king do to push you to such extremes?"

"That is exactly what I was wondering," Valerie heard Glorfindel say somewhere around, but Phoebe did not realize that everyone was listening in the camp.

"I made a mistake... And because of that, the dwarves escaped from our dungeons. For weeks, he did not see me, talk to me, or even write me a note. Until the day he decided to go to war against the dwarves, hoping to gain some of their treasures. He took his whole army with him, his whole army, Mom, only to get some gold and jewels!"

So far, Valerie did not think this was enough to justify a formal separation between two fëa-mates. Agreed, Thranduil was a difficult ellon, and the fact that he could sulk for weeks was not a surprise for anyone. The fact that he had marched against the dwarves to gain riches was not traditional elven behavior either, but still. Asking for a divorce on those grounds in the elven world? Not likely to happen.

Phoebe probably read her opinion in her eyes, because she kept trying to convince her mother.

"Do you not understand? Gold and diamonds are more important to him than me and our unborn child. He knew Oropher and Mithrellas were on their way, and still, he went ahead to the Lonely Mountain. It is as if a necklace was more important to Adar than you and us!"

"I understand your disappointment. It is never pleasant to discover the worst side of your mate. Your feelings are very real, they cannot be denied. But you took a great risk by leaving Greenwood alone because of your disappointment."

"I am a warrior!"

"You are a warrior who has another life to protect! What if your labor had started in the middle of the mountain pass? How would you have protected your child?"

"I did not give birth!"

"But you could have!"

"You do not love me!"

Valerie had a hard time following Phoebe's reasoning. But she understood her distress. Once too, she had escaped Imladris to find herself alone in the woods, risking her life without even realizing it.

"Of course, I love you," Valerie told her daughter. She started caressing her hair again. "What was the mistake that made Thranduil so angry with you?"

"I would prefer not to tell you. It was not my best moment."

"Phoebe, if you want your adar and I to help you, we need to know what happened."

"Please do not insist, Mom."

"Alright," Valerie decided to change the subject and inquire later on, once Phoebe was less emotional. "Tell me how your journey was."

"I traveled night and day during the first few days. Then, fatigue caught up. I had not seriously trained in months. The journey was more difficult than I had anticipated."

"I can imagine. You must be aching all over!"

"I would certainly appreciate a back rub! But my bottom is seriously aching."

"Did you get cramps, contractions?"

"Sometimes," Phoebe admitted.

"I am happy I had no idea you were on the way. I would have been worried sick! The mountain pass is dangerous, and it is worse for a pregnant elleth! What if you had met a bunch of orcs?" Now that Valerie knew her daughter was safe and sound, she was turning angry, knowing Phoebe had been reckless, borderline stupid. Her tone was going up, and just as quickly, Phoebe's expression closed up.

At that moment, Allison came in the tent with a waterskin. She made eye contact with Valerie, letting her know that there was a calming draught mixed with the water, and that it was time for her to stop ranting and allow Phoebe to sleep for a few hours.

"Here, take this," Allison said while Valerie helped Phoebe to sit down so she could drink. The draught must have been very potent, as the elleth fell asleep only a few minutes later.

"Let's examine her." Valerie helped Allison to undress her daughter.

Outside the tent, the ellyn were asking the two Greenwood guards to give them a full description of the events that had pushed Phoebe to leave her husband's kingdom.

OoOoO

"We are the warriors that are usually with Lady Phoebe when she is going on guard duty in the forest. Of course, since her pregnancy, she has stopped going in the forest and has spent most of her time in the fortress," the one named Cadworon started. "The dwarves were captured by our people in the forest a few months ago. It is my understanding that they refused to reveal what their plans were, and the king kept them in the dungeons until further notice. Lady Phoebe was curious to see them. She sent the guard away and went to the dungeons. What happened after is unclear. But the dwarves escaped, and she was at least partially responsible for their escape."

Glorfindel was livid. He loved his daughter dearly. But as Captain of Imladris, he knew that his daughter sending a guard away to satisfy her curiosity had been immature, imprudent, damageable to the reputation of the king and was endangering the security of the realm.

"To her defense," Brethilon said, "the elves working in the cellars were completely drunk. And as much as it pains me to say it, our Captain had thought that one single guard at the top of the stairs leading to the dungeons was enough. It obviously was not."

"Lady Phoebe also said that she had met in the dungeons a little man, a hobbit, who asked for her help organizing the escape of the dwarves. But as she had captured him, he disappeared from her hold. The king did not believe her. Actually, no one did. She stopped talking about him after a day or two." Cadworon seemed disturbed to tell the story.

"There was a hobbit in Imladris, traveling with the dwarves. But... he never disappeared." The captain was pensive for a little while. He did not like thinking that his daughter was a liar, but her version of the events was hard to believe. "What happened next? Why did Phoebe leave Greenwood and the security of the fortress?"

Glorfindel was doing all the questioning, Elladan and Elrohir preferred not to intervene under the circumstances.

"The king... he was very unhappy," Cadworon said shamefully. "Our duty changed... we had to guard her door."

"She was a prisoner in her own home?" Glorfindel could not quite believe what he was hearing and wanted to clarify the facts before he decided to go to Greenwood to physically hurt the king.

"She stayed in her apartment for weeks. He did not visit her once," was the only answer that he got. "When Lake-town called for help to settle their dispute with the dwarves -"

"What dispute?" Elladan asked.

"They woke the dragon. It came out of the mountain and burned Lake-town entirely. There is nothing left of the city."

"This is terrible news! Where did Smaug go? East? West?"

"We do not have much details, as we remained in Greenwood. But we heard that the dragon is dead, killed by Bard the Bowman. He is now Master of Lake-town. Him and the surviving inhabitants wanted their share of the dwarves' treasure, as reparation for losing their town. Winter is coming, they also needed shelter, food..." Brethilon recalled. "The king rose his army and marched in the direction of the Lonely Mountain. We were left in Greenwood to protect Lady Phoebe."

He then proceeded to describe how Phoebe had escaped, leading them to believe she was lost in the woods around the fortress, and how they had looked for her for many days before they realized she had been riding in the direction of Imladris using the forest road. Thranduil had removed his guards from that area, bringing all his warriors but a few to the Lonely Mountain.

They had caught up with her at the bottom of the path going through the mountain pass. At that point, she had crossed the official line of her mate's realm and they had known that dragging her back to the fortress was no longer an option. The fact that she had stopped, waiting for them to join her, had been an admission that she had been too exhausted to continue her journey without their help. They had spent two days there, waiting for her to rest and regain some strength. They had tried to convince her to go back, but she had been adamant that she needed to see her parents, who were waiting for her on the western side of the mountains. They had preferred to travel with her than leaving her alone in the mountain pass.

"I thank you for this," Glorfindel assured them. "I will be forever in your debt."

"You are not," Brethilon said. "She is our queen... Well, one day she will be our queen," he corrected himself. "She is carrying an heir to the throne. We only did our duty."

"What should we do now?" Elrohir asked.

"We rush back to Imladris, as fast as we can with two pregnant ellith and two elflings. Time is against us, both of them could give birth anytime now. In the woods, like savages!" Glorfindel spat. He regretted to have brought Valerie with him. She would have been safe with Lord Elrond if he had not given in to her whims.

"At least, they are with three healers. It could have been worse," Elladan remarked. "We will take care of them, do not worry, Glorfindel. Your mate and your daughter are safe with us."

"Once we are back in Imladris, I will write to the king to tell him my daughter came back home. And I will clearly express my displeasure at how he has been treating the daughter of a lord."

"You are not writing that letter!" Valerie spat from inside her tent. "I am! And believe me, he will wish it was you who had written it!"

"What do you think the king will do once he realizes that his mate came back to Imladris?" Elladan asked.

"He will probably send an escort to bring her back home. Then, when she refuses, he will spend his time counting the treasures he gained from his expedition at the Lonely Mountain." It was Elrohir who said that, and although his judgment was harsh, many elves in the camp thought he probably was right.

OoOoO

They found the traces of a recently dismantled elven camp, at the exact spot where the Imladris party had been supposed to wait for the arrival of the Greenwood escort.

"They left just a few days ago," Legolas estimated, looking at the ashes in the spots where fires had been lit. "There were ten tents. How do we know if Phoebe was with them?"

"We found separate tracks of a single horse followed by fresher tracks of two until the mountain pass. Cadworon and Brethilon caught up with her there, and then the three of them used the only path, leading here. There were many more than three horses at the bottom of the western side of the mountain. Someone met with them, and since this is an elven camp, it can only mean that my mate is with elves from Imladris," Thranduil deducted from all the clues they had seen on their way.

"May the Valar hear you! I hope she is safe and sound. We should get going if we want to catch up with them before they reach Imladris. It would be best not to find ourselves having to explain the situation to Lord Elrond and Phoebe's parents."

"Oropher and Mithrellas were supposed to be in this camp. I am certain that at least Glorfindel was there with them. Legolas, I cannot envision any scenario in which Phoebe's adar is not being a problem. I am not even sure that we will go back to Greenwood with my wife."

"But she is your wife! Your mate! He cannot forbid you to bring her back home!"

Thranduil looked around, making sure that his warriors were out of earshot. "Things were not very... peaceful between my mate and I when she left..."

Legolas bit his tongue and said nothing following his father's incredible understatement. Thranduil noticed his son's visible efforts not to verbally pass judgment on his behavior, and was grateful for it. He could not quite believe what he had done himself.

"She... Should she hesitate between coming back home and staying in Imladris, her parents will most forcefully convince her to stay. And I will be sent on my way without mate or child, and I will have to wait until she forgives me before I see her again..."

"This does not sound like you to be so defeatist."

"I have made mistakes." This was the extent of the admission the Elvenking would ever make to his son.

"Yes," Legolas acknowledged darkly. By watching his father, he was quickly learning the dos and don'ts, but mostly the don'ts, of being bound to a fëa-mate much younger than yourself. He knew for sure that he would never confine her to her apartment for an extended period of time, nor would he ever leave his pregnant mate to run after some meaningless treasures. But this, he could not tell his adar. He loved his sire dearly, but sometimes he could not understand him at all.

The Elvenking knew he had not treated Phoebe with the love and respect she deserved. But also, only he knew the kind of bond that he had allowed to develop between himself and his young fëa-mate. However, he was certain that the most experienced elves would quickly see what the issue was, especially Glorfindel and Elrond.

"I need to bring her back home," he murmured to himself. Only then would he be able to repair their fragile bond. He felt incomplete when she was not around, like his life had no meaning. He had survived millennia with his gruesome injuries, carefully hidden behind a magical illusion, and had never even thought of sailing to escape the pain of the curse. He had been mated but a few years with an elleth and here he was, pursuing her as a weakling. Their bond must not be so fragile after all.

"Then let us find her," Legolas told his adar, "and bring her back home. This is a misunderstanding. You will have to learn that your mate cannot be treated like an annoying elfling, and she will learn to face her problems rather than escape them. You both have a lot of growing up to do," he continued with a grin. "And I would appreciate if you could make sure that we will be allowed to bring Oropher and Mithrellas to Greenwood as originally planned. I will not accept to be punished by association for what you have done!"

For three days they rode without stop, knowing they were getting closer to the group of elves riding in the direction of Imladris. It was during the third night that they saw at the horizon multiple fires burning in the valley. They had finally caught up with the party riding back to Imladris. The warriors were sitting around fires while there was some commotion around one of the tents. The Noldor knew they were being followed since they did not show any surprise when the Greenwood party approached their camp. Why they had stopped while they obviously did not want the royal party to catch up with them was still a mystery to the king.

They slowed down and approached the camp, where a welcoming group was standing, Glorfindel at the front, a frown on his face. Elrond's sons were nowhere to be found, and neither was Phoebe.

"May I know what you are doing here, Lord Thranduil?" Glorfindel asked regally, with the confidence of an ellon whose conscience was clean while he knew his opponent's was not.

"I am here to see my mate," the king coldly informed his father-in-law.

"I am afraid I cannot allow this."

"We are bound. You have no right to interfere in this."

Glorfindel's expression changed to a menacing one while he walked closer to the king. "You have not treated my daughter as your mate," he whispered only for the king to hear, a clear threat in his voice. "Do you truly think I will allow you to bring her back to Greenwood? So you can lock her up again?"

Thranduil was about to grab his blade when a hand stopped him. Legolas.

"Lord Glorfindel, we can appreciate your reservations. Believe me, we would not have followed you up to here if my father did not care for his wife. We all care for Phoebe. She is our queen." Thranduil and Glorfindel kept defying each other with anger. "I am serious," Legolas continued. "He would follow her in the fires of Mount Doom if he had to."

Thranduil's expression twitched slightly, but went back to his usual cold demeanor. At that moment, the sons of Elrond came out of a tent at the other end of the camp. They walked to Glorfindel and stood beside him.

"Where is my mate?" Thranduil asked, clearly pronouncing every word to ensure Glorfindel would get his meaning and the seriousness behind the calm inquiry. If the Lord of the Golden Flower stood in his way any longer, there would be a bloodshed. Literally.

"My daughter is with her naneth at the moment."

"Phoebe needed a moment with Valerie and Allison," Elladan informed them. "She asked us to leave so they could talk."

"Does she know I am here? That we have been following you?"

"She does not," Glorfindel replied with something that Thranduil suspected was satisfaction. "How interesting to see the weakness of your bond. What have you done, Thranduil? How can your bond be so lacking in strength? King or no king, I see no obligation to allow you to bring her back to Greenwood. Not under the circumstances. You will only make her unhappy."

"Can you not even feel that she is in labor? That she is in pain?" Elrohir asked, bewildered and disrespectful. "What a mate you are!"

A cry was heard in the tent where they knew Phoebe, Valerie and Allison were. Phoebe had asked for privacy to talk to her mother and aunt, and all the ellyn turned in that direction to listen to the words the ellith were going to exchange now that they were alone. They all knew that Thranduil wouldn't like to hear what would be said about him.

* * *

A/N: Thranduil followed her after all, despite his anger. In the next chapter, we will know more about their bond – why it is weak and how it can be fixed, and what would the consequences would be if it is allowed to be complete...

foofie01: is he being childish or just being his usual cold and passive aggressive self? I don't think he realizes that his conduct is wrong when he acts… only after the fact. And you have to admit, she made a pretty big mistake with some major consequences…

princessnera: they are mismatched – that is for sure – but you will see the reason why they are not connecting as they should in the next chapter.

ColdOnePaul: she is trying to get to Imladris – but do you think Thranduil will convince her to come back to Greenwood? He will have to do something drastic to convince her… For the sixth child, it is not Angrod, but you are getting warm in the family ties of the Lothlorien rulers…

glassary: her escape prevented her to participate in the battle (although Thranduil would never have allowed her to). Her going into labor will tremendously help their dialogue.

Fihunt: Thranduil is cruel, and he will explain the reason to Phoebe in the next chapter. Thranduil doesn't know how to handle his love for Phoebe and his angst against everything and everyone… he will explain why in the next chapter.

Paperlanterns86: I would never let Thranduil win this fight! Ha Ha

Maggie: thank you, I really appreciate your comments. I try to keep the story in line with the events in the books (and movies). But in 2 chapters, the story will take a major turn in unknown territories. Something that none of my previous stories explored – I hope you will like that too.

Aralinn: She tried asking for forgiveness, but he wouldn't listen to her. So she had no choice, she had to leave or he would never have taken her seriously. But she will win in the end – just wait!


	22. Chapter 22 - Reclaiming

_Chapter 21 ended with:_

 _A cry was heard in the tent where they knew Phoebe, Valerie and Allison were. Phoebe had asked for privacy to talk to her mother and aunt, and all the ellyn turned in that direction to listen to the words the ellith were going to exchange now that they were alone. They all knew that Thranduil wouldn't like to hear what would be said about him._

Chapter 22 - Reclaiming

Allison was supporting Phoebe's back while Valerie was offering her water. The future mother pushed away Valerie's hand.

"I do not want water, I do not want anything. Oh gods, there is another contraction coming."

Valerie observed her daughter. When Phoebe had told her that her labor had started, they had stopped for the night and had installed her as comfortably as possible in a tent, buried under a pile of furs to keep her warm. Phoebe had been stoic for the longest time, enduring the pain like only a warrior could do. However, her mood was darkening with every passing hour and she was now on the verge of tears. For hours, she had been thoughtful, and when she had asked Elladan and Elrohir to leave her alone with her mother and her aunt, Valerie had known that Phoebe was now ready to share all that had been on her mind in the past days.

"You have endured the pain well so far," Allison said encouragingly to her niece.

"It is not the physical pain that is worse," Phoebe murmured right before her entire body tensed.

"Do not fight it!" Valerie recommended. "It will only make it more painful. Just breathe deeply, like I taught you."

Phoebe was panting and crushing Valerie's hand while she was caressing her red hair delicately. When the contraction was over, she noticed the tears on her daughter's face. She dried them gently with her thumbs.

"Do not cry, Sweetie, it will soon be over. I am so proud of you."

"Yes, all will soon be over," Phoebe lamented, her tears breaking into sobs. "My life will be over."

"You will not die!" Valerie said forcefully. The last thing Phoebe needed was to think that she would die in childbirth. "You are healthy, courageous and strong! The strongest elleth who ever existed in Middle Earth! You will not die in childbirth!"

"No, I will not die in childbirth, but afterward? Fading awaits me!"

"You will have your baby to hold on to," Allison says lamely, knowing a child would never make up for the loss of a fëa-mate. Glorfindel and Valerie may have to send their daughter and grandchild to Valinor if King Thranduil kept being so stubborn.

"I cannot feel him anymore. When he locked me in my apartment... I could barely feel him any longer. But when he left for the Lonely Mountain... it broke something in me. I begged him not to go. He ignored my plea. Treasures have more value to him than his mate and his child. I suddenly felt an overwhelming emptiness and I did not know why at the time. I only wanted to run away. But now I know. Our bond is broken. I am fading," she sobbed the last words. "My child will be an orphan."

"You are not fading!" Valerie cried with a tad of impatience for the drama. "A fading elleth would not have found the strength to ride for weeks to reach her childhood home. Believe me, once you have your child in your arms, you will see that life is not as gloomy as it seems to be right now. And when we are back in Imladris, we will figure out what we will do about your mate."

"Aunt Allison? Would Elrohir ever lock you up in your apartment and not talk to you for weeks?" Phoebe asked her aunt.

The ellyn who were listening to the conversation did not hear Allison's reply but imagined that the healer had silently gestured a negative response. Elrohir smirked in Thranduil's direction. The Elvenking's expression was as cold as ever, and only Legolas' restraining hand on his arm was containing his impulse to break the nose of Elrond's son.

"I know for a fact that Ada would never, ever lock you up," Phoebe continued, this time talking to her mother. "When he looks at you... I only see love, devotion, reverence even! Emotions I have rarely seen in Thranduil's eyes..." Phoebe's tone was going up, her sadness rapidly turning to anger as she recalled how her husband had treated her in the past few months.

"You are right," Valerie said, knowing a combative daughter would be much stronger than a moping one. "Once you have your baby with you, we will go back to Imladris, and we will decide how the king of Greenwood will pay for his unacceptable behavior."

Phoebe did not answer as another contraction started and this time, Phoebe was unprepared, overwhelmed by her anger and sadness. The pain stroke hard and a desperate wail escaped her lips, lasting as long as the contraction did.

Thranduil was about to grab Glorfindel by his tunic and push him out of his way when Legolas intervened once again by holding back his father. From the corner of his eyes, the prince saw two blonde little heads in the opening of a tent. Oropher and Mithrellas were watching them warily, but seemed scared by the painful screams they heard coming from their sister's tent. When he realized the young elleth was just there, a few steps away from him, he almost let his father go, but shook himself before it was too late. He would speak to Glorfindel's youngest daughter when the situation between Glorfindel and Thranduil was resolved, not before.

"Adar! Stop!" he insisted, keeping Thranduil under control with great difficulty. The king was struggling against his son's stronghold, and took some time before calming down. He did not relent until Phoebe's painful cries stopped.

"Phoebe!" was all Thranduil said, his haunted and tortured expression clearly on display for all to see. It was a surprising expression on his features, one no one had ever seen before. Legolas worried that the illusion of healthy skin his adar was keeping on his face might disappear. And then, everyone in Middle Earth would know his father still bore the burn scars of the evil fires of a dragon. Prejudice would force his father to sail, and Legolas would have to take his place as king of Greenwood, a responsibility he did not want now, and not ever.

"Do not keep him away from her," Legolas pleaded to Phoebe's father. "You can see how he feels!"

"So you do care for her after all," Glorfindel mused, observing the Elvenking with interest.

"Legolas, let me go!" the king ordered.

Legolas watched Glorfindel, who nodded subtly. He let his father go, but Glorfindel grabbed the king's arm before he could run to his wife's tent.

"If you cause her grief in any way..." Glorfindel threatened. "I am allowing you to see her for now. But you and I will talk later. You have some serious explaining to do, and I do not care if you are king and I am not. I am her adar and it gives me every right to protect her from you."

Thranduil nodded, knowing full well he was not intending to keep any promise he made. All he wanted was to be with his mate. The one he had shamefully treated. An overpowering urge to hold her, to never let her out of his sight was taking over. Glorfindel led him to the tent, while Legolas was left behind.

"Have your warriors install their tents in that area," Elrohir told Legolas, who quickly relayed the message to his lieutenant. When he turned around to observe Mithrellas once more, Elladan had already told the elflings to get back to bed, and she was nowhere in sight. He would have to wait until morning. He sat at the fire nearest to her tent, knowing he would not sleep that night, between the excitement of having her so close, and the thought that he would soon have a new sibling. He silently prayed the Valar that his father would find the right words to fix this huge mess he had created by sheer stupidity and destructive pride.

Glorfindel suddenly stopped and Thranduil almost ran into him. He did not know why they had stopped in front of the tent door instead of immediately entering.

"Valerie?" Glorfindel called softly. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"You can come in, Phoebe is still decent," his mate replied mockingly.

"My love, can you please come outside?" he insisted more firmly.

There was a silence. "Now is not a good time, Glorfindel. Can it wait until we are done here?"

Thranduil was not surprised to see that Glorfindel's wife was not immediately obeying. It reflected how he had always perceived Phoebe's naneth, and quite frankly, it reflected how she had raised her daughter. As king, no one had questioned his will more than Phoebe in their short years of bonding. The sum of all Legolas' challenges through the millennia was nowhere close to what Phoebe had done.

"It is important," Glorfindel simply said. There was some commotion inside, Thranduil heard his mate ask her mother where she was going and the reply that she would only be gone a short while.

A moment later, Valerie was coming out of the tent and froze when she saw who was standing beside her mate. She was wearing a cloak to protect herself from the cold, but her pregnancy was obvious, probably due in a few weeks from now. He was flabbergasted again at the resemblance between his mate and her mother. Same green eyes, same hair, same nose. But where Valerie's features were more beautiful than a mortal's but close to a mortal's nonetheless, Phoebe had truly developed the fine features of the elves. Seeing his mate's naneth made him crave for his mate's presence.

Valerie was staring at him, surprised, but her emotions quickly turned to outrage. Despite the darkness, he could see her eyes throwing daggers at him. Before he had time to anticipate her movement, she had slapped him very forcefully.

Glorfindel gently grabbed her hand before she slapped Thranduil again, a dark smirk on his face. _He had known_ , Thranduil realized, _Glorfindel had known that his mate would physically hurt him_. The king touched his cheek, experiencing for the first time in his entire life what a female slap felt like. It hurt, but he had to admit, it was his pride who was in shreds.

"Mom? Did you just slap Ada?" Phoebe's panting voice asked from inside the tent. She obviously was having a contraction, but could not believe what she had heard.

Allison's face appeared in the flaps of the tent door and her mouth hanged open when she saw the king of Greenwood. She shook herself and went back in without making a comment.

"She did not slap your adar. She slapped... someone who really deserved it," Allison told Phoebe.

"Mom! Please! Come back to me!" Phoebe called, her voice more tense, with a hint of panic.

"Do not fight it!" Allison repeated again, seeing that the future mother was tensing against the pain.

"After this is over, you and I will talk!" Valerie murmured to the king, pointing her finger in his direction as a threat.

"I think we should let him in," Glorfindel intervened, also with a low voice. They did not want Phoebe to hear their discussion while she was already distressed.

"Oh really?" Valerie sarcastically said to her mate. "You think his presence would help?"

"He is her mate," Glorfindel insisted, with some masculine solidarity Valerie thought the king was undeserving of.

She sniffed disdainfully. "Will you try to lock her up in that tent? So she can give birth utterly and completely alone? Because from what I hear, this is the state you like to keep her in."

Inside the tent, Phoebe's panting turned to groans. "She is in pain..." was all Thranduil managed to say. In all their years together, he had never heard his wife express pain vocally. She had always borne pain like a true Greenwood warrior - silently.

"Yes," Valerie admitted, "it feels like a wild animal is shredding your stomach with its sharp claws. There is no pain that can compare to this. But she tells me the pain of your abandonment is worse."

"I need to talk to her."

Valerie sighed. "If I did not think that your presence would help her, I would ask my mate to send you back on your merry way. But I think she needs you. You are the father of her child, after all."

"I am her mate."

"Are you?" Glorfindel asked, coming closer. "Because your actions tell us otherwise. Did you truly create a full and complete bond when you bound yourself to her, or did you hold a part of yourself, allowing a gap to be created between the two of you?"

"Mom! What are you doing? Who are you talking to?" Phoebe cried from inside, impatient to have her mother back with her in these difficult moments.

"I do not have to explain myself to you!" Thranduil hissed to Phoebe's parents.

"Well then, man up and explain it to her. Because she does not understand what is happening. But I know, and I will not hesitate to tell her if you do not," Glorfindel said. "I will tell her that you have not allowed the creation of a true fëa-mate bond with her. You simply married her, like mortals marry. There is nothing elvish in your union, or so little."

"Is that a threat?" the king asked coldly, his own tone threatening.

"No. I am merely stating a fact."

The two ellyn defied each other until Valerie opened the door of the tent. "Follow me," she asked.

When Thranduil finally entered the tent, Valerie was already sitting beside her daughter, massaging her back. Allison stared at him with something akin to hate in her eyes.

Phoebe, his Phoebe, was watching him as if she was seeing a ghost. She looked glorious to him, despite the state she was in. The skin of her face was flushed. She had dried tears on her cheeks while drops of sweat were running on her temples, her hair was messy, but Valar... she was beautiful. And she was his.

"He followed you," Valerie told her quietly, explaining to her daughter that she was not dreaming.

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe asked her mate, still unable to believe her eyes.

"He should not be here," Allison said. "Not under the circumstances. It will trouble her, she will not be giving birth in good emotional conditions."

Phoebe was still panting through her contraction, her gaze locked with Thranduil's.

"I want him here," Phoebe said once the contraction was over.

"Allison, you can go spend time with Elrohir for a little while," Valerie asked. "I think you need to talk with him."

Allison huffed but left quickly, eager to discuss this latest development with her own mate. Thranduil looked at Valerie, expecting her to do the same.

"You are kidding yourself if you think I will leave her alone while she is in labor," she rudely told him.

"She would not be alone! I am here."

"She needs an experienced person to help her through this. Did you even attend Legolas' birth?" she inquired sarcastically.

"My mother is staying," Phoebe cut to end the discussion. "What are you doing here, Thranduil? You are here to take away my child as soon as he is born?"

"Actually, I am here to bring you both back home."

"I am not going back to my prison!"

Valerie was burning to reply something, something that would simply pour oil on the fire, but she decided to remain silent. Another contraction started and Phoebe grabbed her mother's hand.

"What should I do?" the Elvenking asked Valerie. She rolled her eyes before telling him to at least hold his wife's hand. At first, Phoebe pulled out her hand from his and ignored him completely, but as time passed and the pain grew stronger, she started relying on him, looking for support from both him and her mother.

Finally, Allison came back with Elrohir. To her credit, she was successful at keeping her temper in check while she checked the progress of Phoebe's labor. She announced that she was now fully dilated, and Thranduil watched as everyone was getting ready for the birth.

"I wish she was on a bed," Valerie murmured regretfully.

"And whose fault is it if she is not?" Allison asked.

"We will brace her feet against our shoulders," Elrohir said. "I have done this in the past. Phoebe is not the first to woman give birth in the wild."

"She probably is the first elleth..." Allison mumbled.

"Allison, one more word and I am asking Elladan to replace you," Valerie told her sister.

Valerie was getting ready to sit at her daughter's feet when Elrohir stopped her with his hand. "You cannot do this, I do not want you to push against her foot, I do not need your labor to start because of the effort. Worse, she could kick you inadvertently in the belly."

"I will do it," Thranduil said. "Tell me what I should do."

For more than an hour, Phoebe pushed and pushed, her mother near her head, wiping the sweat off her face and giving her small sips of water once in a while. Her husband had been holding her left foot on his shoulder and holding her hand all at once, the skin of his palm now in shreds after Phoebe had scratched it with her fingernails.

"I can see a head," Elrohir finally announced.

"You are almost done, Sweetie," Valerie told her, kissing her forehead. "You will soon see your baby."

Thranduil suddenly became nervous. He was both tempted to look and horrified at the idea of watching. This was his child being born, an elfling that was the result of his love for Phoebe. There was a glint in her eyes that told him she was not done with him. She needed his support for the moment, but after the birth of their child, she would make him pay dearly for his shameful conduct. He had no doubt that he would win her again. Their child was creating a new bond between them, a bond that could not be denied. She would not be able to push him away the moment she saw their elfling, especially if the child looked like him.

As if he was reading his thoughts, Elrohir declared that the child had light hair.

"You hear that, my love? Our child has my hair," he told Phoebe, satisfied.

"Are you going to be happy if it is an elleth?" Phoebe inquired between two painful pushes.

Thranduil looked into her eyes, puzzled. "Why would I not be?"

By the look exchanged between mother and daughter, he understood an event had happened when Valerie had given birth to her twin ellith.

"Greenwood always welcomed ellith with the greatest of satisfaction," he said haughtily. "They bring such joy and love to their family."

Elrohir looked at him with a challenge in his eyes. "So is Imladris! My father could not stop smiling for weeks when Arwen was born." Valerie stared at him, one eyebrow raised sceptically. "It is true!" Elrohir insisted. "It is only that... he did not expect females to be part of the prophecy."

Thranduil snorted but kept his eyes on his wife. He bent closer to her and kissed her hand. "I will love any child you give me. I love this one already. A little more effort, and we will see him or her."

Phoebe nodded and took a deep breath, gathering her courage once more to face the pain caused by the contractions and her pushes. Within minutes, Elrohir was finally holding the baby in his arms, and the king was eagerly watching as his daughter was taking her first breath. Elrohir wiped her body quickly and wrapped her in a blanket.

"It is an elleth," Thranduil told Phoebe, containing his tears with great difficulty. He would not cry. Not in front of Elrond's son and Phoebe's mother. "A beautiful daughter," he continued, taking in her small features. _Perfect, she was perfect,_ he decided. For sure no elleth so perfect had ever been born in any elven realm! She looked like a smaller version of Phoebe, with his light blonde hair, although hers seemed to be a little curly, like her naneth's.

When Elrohir was done, Thranduil grabbed the child from his hands and held her against his chest. He looked up when he heard Valerie clearing her throat. Phoebe's naneth was pointing her daughter with her eyes. Her message was clear – Phoebe was entitled to hold her daughter more than he was, after all the efforts and pain. He turned and gently put his daughter on his wife's chest.

Phoebe seemed a little panicked, as if she was just realizing the huge responsibility that this child represented. She looked up at her mother.

"You know what to do, Sweetie, you have taken care of your siblings for many years."

"But you were always there... I knew you would help me if things went wrong!"

"Your mate will be there, right, Thranduil?"

Suddenly, the king realized once again that his wife was young, oh so young! 27 years old, while ellith rarely gave birth before their 500th year. He shook himself before he started being condescending with the elleth he loved. Yes, she was young, but she also was a courageous warrior, a lady that was slowly taking her rightful place in his realm, an elleth that his people revered. She was facing the unknown with the arrival of their child. It reminded him that when they bonded, he had also been facing the unknown. It had not been his first marriage, but definitely the first one involving an elleth he loved. And he had failed miserably in the past few months. He would have needed guidance. He had a flash of Legolas telling him that keeping his wife in her apartment like a prisoner was a mistake. Even one of his councilors, more courageous than the others, had discreetly attempted to give him advice. He had ignored both ellyn, telling them to mind their own business. He should have listened to them.

And now Phoebe was looking for help from the only person she truly trusted – her naneth. He would have to regain her trust.

"I will be there," he confirmed to his wife. "I will take care of both of you." He could read the doubt in her eyes, but he ignored it. "I will, Phoebe," he vowed.

"She is opening her eyes," Valerie murmured. "Look, she has our eyes." Phoebe's gaze went from the king to her daughter. "She is a beauty." Valerie took her daughter's hand and forced Phoebe to touch her own daughter. "See how her hair is silky." Something changed on Phoebe's face. The self-doubt disappeared, replaced by fascination. Her arms wrapped around the child. She started rocking her daughter until she had another contraction.

"It is the placenta," Allison announced. She had remained silent for a long time, avoiding to create more frustration in the small tent. "Phoebe, give your daughter to your mother."

Before Phoebe could do so, Thranduil had extended his arms to take her. Phoebe looked at her mother.

"Give her to him! I can wait!" Valerie laughed. "In fact, I will go tell your adar that he is now a grandfather."

"I am sure he knows by now," Thranduil murmured, rocking his daughter and observing her attentively. "But do tell him she is the most extraordinary elleth ever born."

Valerie rolled her eyes, and left the tent, looking for her mate and for Legolas, to tell them that Thranduil had, once again, surpassed the other realms, since it seemed so important to him.

OoOoO

A few people were gathered around the fire, but Valerie was closest, her furs not providing her with enough warmth since the sun had set for the night. Watching her as she shivered, Elladan wondered about the news they had received from the people of Greenwood. There were rumors that there had been a fight in Dol Guldur, between an unknown dark force and the magical leaders of the world. Saruman, Mithrandir, Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond had fought it and chased it away. However, a flaming eye had appeared in Mordor at the top of Barad-Dûr, and no one could deny that evil was now definitely coming back to Middle Earth. An eye that Lady Galadriel had already seen in her mirror once with Valerie, an eye she was now seeing everyday in the same mirror. As if the destruction caused by the dwarves had not been enough.

"How will the people of Lake-town survive during the winter if their city was entirely destroyed?" Elladan asked Legolas.

"The dwarves and my adar promised to help them rebuild their city. They are quickly rebuilding some houses in the ruins of Dale for the winter, but Bard, their leader, told me they would rebuild their city on the lake again. Dain accepted to give them a fourteenth share of all the treasures." Dain was the cousin of Thorin Oakenshield, who had unfortunately passed during the battle. He was now the King under the Mountain.

"What about the diamonds that belonged to your naneth?" Glorfindel inquired.

"Thank the Valar, he got them back. I always wondered why he wanted these gems so badly. Yes, they had belonged to my naneth, but... he did not like her. Theirs was an arranged marriage between Oropher and her father. There was no love."

"Did he give the diamonds back to you?" Valerie asked.

"No, he did not, and I care not for them. I have very few memories of my naneth," Legolas admitted. "But diamonds are not important to me, even if they once belonged to her. No, I believe he wanted them for Phoebe."

They all looked at Phoebe's tent, and at that exact moment, she came out, her daughter in her arms, followed by the king. The couple had not shared a tent in the past three days, and it was clear that there was tension between them. Their only moments of peace were when they were with their newborn daughter. But their conversations were so tense that they had yet to agree on a name for their little princess.

They walked in the direction of the group gathered around the fire, who remained silent until Phoebe stood in front of them, the Elvenking still behind her.

"Mom, can you take care of my daughter for a little while? I need... to spend time with Thranduil." The king avoided their stares. Valerie briefly wondered if they wanted to be alone to share physical intimacy, but the tension between her daughter and her mate was radiating around them, making everyone uncomfortable.

Valerie started standing with difficulty, her arm supporting her swollen belly, intending to take her grandchild but Glorfindel was much quicker. He took the elfling from Phoebe's arms and sat back beside Valerie, giving her the child once she was back on her seat.

"Thank you," Phoebe said to her parents, and turning around, she walked in the direction of the woods, followed by her mate, both of them fully armed.

"What is this about?" Legolas wondered out loud. "They could have discussed during the day, instead of going in the woods in the dark! Our lands are no longer safe!"

"Phoebe trained this morning," Glorfindel said proudly. Phoebe's warrior body had quickly recovered, much quicker than any elleth, and just three days after the birth, her figure was almost back to normal. "She is in fine form to have a serious discussion with your adar."

"We need to know if she is going back to Greenwood or going to Imladris," Elladan replied. "I do not wish for Valerie to give birth here, like Phoebe did. We have little time left. Barely enough time to make it to Imladris before she gives birth."

"I prefer the comfort and warmth of my bed when I give birth," Valerie jested. "The cold is getting worst every day. I feel it in my bones!"

Glorfindel's proud expression was replaced by worry. "Yes, you are right. A decision must be made before tomorrow."

Two elflings started running around them, Oropher having stolen a ribbon from Mithrellas' braid.

"Give it back!" she was yelling, her expression one of pure annoyance, until she realized that Legolas was with her parents. She slowed her pace down, and dismissed her brother by telling him that she cared not for that old ribbon.

She fit her small body between her parents, lightly pushing her father aside to have more room. Glorfindel move a little but remained very close, putting his arm around her little waist. Mithrellas looked at her niece with curiosity. "Does she have a name now?"

"I am afraid not," Valerie sighed.

"Maybe we can find a temporary name for her, like when Nimrodel and I were born. Ada told me you had given us temporary names until you decided how to call us."

Everyone froze, but Mithrellas did not realize it. Glorfindel made a face that was expressing his disappointment that he had had to tell his daughters that they had not agreed on their names for weeks. Clearly, they could not tell them that they had been waiting to know who they were as reborn elves! Their children would not be told about their previous lives until they started recovering some of their memories, decades from now.

"Nana, you are calling all your daughters Sweetie. Do you think Phoebe will call her daughter Sweetie too?" Mithrellas truly wanted to find a name for the baby.

"It may be complicated if all the ellith are called Sweetie," Legolas replied seriously. The other adults had a harder time keeping a serious expression.

"I just hope she will not be as annoying as you are," Oropher's voice chimed behind them.

"Oropher, if you have nothing nice to say to your sister, you are more than welcome to go to bed right now," Valerie chided.

"Not now," he whined. "I want to know if I will go to Greenwood or not! I want to visit the fortress in the caves again!"

Valerie looked in the direction of the woods, where her daughter had disappeared with the king. Everyone around her was certain that they were having an argument. She had no doubt they would discuss a few things. But she remembered the advice she had given her daughter earlier that morning.

 _Do not go back to Greenwood unless there is a full bond between Thranduil and you. A true fëa-mate bond. Do not leave for anything else._

Phoebe had asked how she could discern a true fëa-mate bond from a simple marriage bond.

 _When he is beside you, you will clearly know what he thinks, what he feels, with very little effort. When he is at the other end of the fortress, you will know where he is. There will be this constant presence in your heart, a link to his soul. This is so much more than love, Sweetie. When you feel it, you will know. If you are not absolutely sure that a proper bond has been created, then it does not exist. Do not go back. He loves you, everyone can see that. However, there is a part of him that he hides from you. And until he completely opens up to you, your bond will be weak at best._

Phoebe had stared at her, but soon, her features were reflecting her usual combativeness. _You are right,_ she had said. _I deserve more than this. And I know exactly what and why he is holding back._

Phoebe stopped once she was certain they were out of earshot from the camp. The forest was dark, some moonlight barely allowing her to see her husband once she turned to look at him. His expression was unreadable.

She observed him, trying to analyze his features, attempting to know what he was thinking. But she could not. A surge of anger overwhelmed her. He had kept her imprisoned, and had abandoned her to go after the dwarves and their diamonds.

In a movement he did not foresee, she punched him. Hard.

He recovered quickly and glared at her but did not touch the cheek that was starting to show a bruise. He looked so haughty and offended, she worriedly wondered if he would hit her back. Her breathing picked up, and he somehow seemed to know she was afraid he would strike her. He took a step back to reassure her. He would never hit an elleth, especially not his mate and mother of his daughter.

"Why are we here, Phoebe?" he asked, his voice slow and cold. "It is freezing, you are shivering. It would be best if you were close to the fire."

"For sure, it would have been better if I was in the fortress, near a fire, with our daughter in my arms."

"May I remind you that I am not the one who left the fortress."

"Did I truly have a choice, Thranduil?"

"You always had a choice. You could have waited for my return. But you are impulsive. A trait you share with your naneth."

"Leave my mother out of this, she has never done anything to hurt you." His eyebrow twitched but he did not reply. "I could not stay, Thranduil. Can you not see that?"

"I am afraid I do not. Why did you leave?"

"I was a prisoner in my own home. Like the dwarves, I had to escape."

"Do not bring up the dwarves!" he cried, finally losing his calm demeanor. "A lot of people would still be alive if you had minded your own business! That dragon would still be sleeping, and Lake-town would not be in ruins."

"And a lot of our warriors would be alive if you had not been as greedy as a dwarf!" she yelled back.

"You are too curious for your own good, sometimes I wonder if you are not still a child!"

"And you! You are such a pleasant ellon to be bonded with! Even in our best moments, I never felt your emotions as much as I should! My parents think that our bond is incomplete, but I think I do not feel your emotions because you have absolutely none! I am nothing more to you than a child that you like to play with when night comes!"

Thranduil took a step back as if she had hit him again, appalled, a strange, foreign expression on his face.

"You keep referring to my age as if it is a major flaw," she continued. "In all my life, I never heard my adar refer to my mother's age in such a demeaning way. Yes, we are not thousands of years old, but in Middle Earth, in the eyes of all but the elves, we are adults and are treated as such. Only you," she said accusingly, pointing a finger at him, "treats me like a brat that needs to go in her room when you are not pleased with my behavior!"

Thranduil looked to his right, avoiding to make eye contact with her. Valar, he was so handsome under the moonlight. Why did she have to fall in love with the most difficult ellon living in Middle Earth?

She turned her back on him, fighting the tears. If he saw her cry, he would keep saying that she is just a child.

"You never allowed our bond to develop properly," she sadly continued, silent tears now rolling on her cheeks. "We must not truly be fëa-mates. We surely not are the first couple who made such a terrible mistake." She leaned against a tree, her forehead touching the cold tree bark. It was slightly painful, but strangely keeping her grounded. "I wonder how a bond can be broken. I want... I will give you back your freedom. Once our daughter is old enough, she can spend her time between Greenwood and Imladris. People will eventually forget about our mistake, I hope."

He did not react to her offer. In her own words, she was offering him a separation. She was hoping their marriage could still be salvaged, but his lack of reaction did not bode well. He was probably pondering her suggestion, evaluating the pros and cons of an estrangement.

She started when she felt his hands on her shoulders. The pressure he was exerting was slightly painful, and she shivered in alarm. He moved his mouth close to her ear, his long, silvery hair flowing on her shoulder. His scent filled her nostrils, familiar, intoxicating. She fought the urge to turn around and seek comfort in his arms.

"We are fëa-mates, have no doubt about that. A separation is out of the question. I will not allow it."

"What other options do we have?" she asked, desperate. "I do not want our bond as it is today. I deserve happiness, like my mother, like my aunt."

"What do you want?"

"I want to be the one for you, the person you trust the most, love the most, think about most frequently. I want to be the center of your life like a true fëa-mate is. I want to be more important than some jewels that belonged to your first wife!" she said bitterly.

"Do you know why I wanted these diamonds back?" he whispered in her ear. "They are the diamonds of the queen of Greenwood. They do not belong to my first wife. They belong to you."

"I am not the queen of Greenwood," she repeated again as she had done frequently since their marriage.

"You are saying that I am not accepting our bond. Did you ever ask yourself what your refusal to be crowned is? I am the king. Your refusal is nothing but a rejection of my station, of who I am as an ellon."

He backed away from her, giving her space to ponder his words. She turned around to argue.

"You are changing my words, my thoughts! I never refused you! I simply feel that I have not done anything to deserve the title of queen! I am a lady of Imladris, worse, a warrior, you cannot seriously believe that I am queen material!"

"If you were not deserving of being queen, my fëa would not have chosen yours. You care for our people, protect them, have bled for them. Our people see you as their queen, even if they never showed it in front of you. You gave me a daughter, a princess of Greenwood, and our people will rejoice once we bring her back home."

"I am not certain I will go back, Thranduil. I had never seen my refusal under your point of view, I admit I may have been at fault. But you... what excuses do you have? Why have you been holding back on our bond? Do you not love me?"

"You know very well why."

"Tell me! Tell me verbally, instead of assuming I understand you! Because I do not! I keep thinking that your love is not strong enough."

Thranduil took a step closer. "Have I not shown you my feelings?"

"Which feelings are you talking about? I am confused, are you talking about your anger? Your condescension?"

"I am talking about my love for you," he said, now almost touching her, his blue eyes piercing her soul.

"I am not afraid of your so-called darkness," she replied seriously, finally pinpointing what their issue was.

"Your soul is pure. It should not be contaminated by my darkness!"

"There is no darkness in you, I cannot feel it. You were burned by a dragon. Your skin is damaged and will never heal. Nothing more."

"You are wrong! I am controlling the darkness like I am controlling the illusion of healed skin on my face. No one knows about it. But it is there," he said, pointing his head, then his heart. "It is always there, whispering in my mind, telling me that I should rule over Middle Earth. All kingdoms without exception. It whispers that I should make everyone bend under my will, proclaim myself High King of the Elves and Men... Not listening to that voice is more difficult with every passing year. Its strength grows with the darkness in Middle Earth. It was worse during the battle at the Lonely Mountain a few weeks back. I could feel my fëa being called while orcs were battling against our people. The darkness knows that if I succumb, there will be bloodshed on the light side, weakening any potential alliance we could make."

Horrified, Phoebe touched the skin of his face. The illusion was so good, his skin felt like normal skin. "I did not know."

"I did not want to scare you."

"I am not a child," she reminded him forcefully. "If you allowed our fëar to be truly bonded, yours would be stronger to face the darkness. You would fight it more easily."

"Or your soul could be completely corrupted. You could fall into darkness, face the same temptations..."

"Together, we cannot fall. Do not tell me that I am too young to fight the darkness, I have fought the shadows before. Remember when my brother died? I spent years killing orcs, barely registering what I was doing. You took me out of that haze. I will not fall again."

His eyes were still doubtful. She slowly touched his lips, biting her own lips, watching his handsome features. He was hers. He had very well hidden his torment from her. Never since their marriage had she ever felt this darkness he was describing. Yes, his character was difficult. But now, she knew why.

"Bind with me," she said.

"We are already bound."

"No, bind with me completely, join your fëa to mine, make me your mate, truly. Here. Now."

"No. Not here. Not like this." He looked comically scandalized. Phoebe knew that she could not go back to Greenwood without this being done. Otherwise, he would find excuses to postpone, and then, it would never happen. They certainly could not get back to the camp and make love in his tent with everyone listening. How mortifying that would be for them both.

"I want it now." She continued caressing his lips with her thumb and he shivered, his pupils dilated with need. "I know you want it too." Her hand went from his mouth to his groin, where his erection was straining against the heavy fabric of his leggings.

"You just gave birth!" he feebly argued, knowing very well Elrohir had declared she had completely recovered and could travel to the realm of her choosing. She smiled in a predatory way, and stroked his erection more firmly. "It is too cold for you," he continued.

She took his hand and moved it under her tunic, around her waist. "Can you not feel how hot I am? You have not made love to me in months. I am almost feverish with desire. Take me," she demanded in a tone that clearly stated that refusing was not an option.

He gently pushed her against the tree she had been leaning against before, but when his lips took hers, his kiss was not gentle by any stretch of the imagination. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting her, dominating her like he had never done before. When he released her, his expression showed pure, uncontrollable want, and it made her feel powerful to know she could turn this cold, haughty ellon into such a passionate lover. Whatever this was going to be, it would be quick, ungentle, and oh so satisfying. She snapped out of her passionate haze, and started opening the long tunic he liked to wear. His chest was just as she remembered it, except for a new scar that was still healing, probably from the battle in Erebor. In the semi-darkness, she touched the pink line with her index, and following her impulse, licked it slowly. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, groaning.

"You will be the death of me," he murmured, but he did not look furious. Far from it.

She watched him with satisfaction while her hands traveled on the plains and valleys of his chest, until it followed a path lower, where she slowly untied the string of his leggings. She freed his elfhood, already painfully hard and leaking, and started stroking him firmly. He let her to her task for a little while, enjoying himself quietly, until he figured out that she was the one who was overdressed. He stopped her hand and watched her, wondering how he could take his wife without completely undressing her in the cold autumn night. This was new to him. He had always taken her completely naked, all her skin available to his touch and his view. This was different... in a good way.

She was wearing a tunic and leggings under a heavy cloak. He moved the cloak around her shoulders, and just opened the first clasp of her tunic, just enough for him see her long, graceful neck. He snaked a hand under the tunic and touched her breasts, bigger than before her pregnancy. They would not go back to their previous shape before she stopped breastfeeding their daughter, but until then, he would enjoy this novelty. She was watching him with a smirk, as if she knew what he was thinking. She probably knew, now that he thought of it. He had not been carefully controlling his expression.

"Do not shut me out," she said, seeing his face was closing down. "I want to see your expressions, I want to be able to know what you feel by watching your face."

He shrugged and went back to his previous task. He opened her leggings and moved his hand to the apex of her thighs. There were the folds he liked so much, warm, so tempting. She gasped when he quickly inserted a finger into her core, and she sensibly relaxed against him when he moved it gently, deliciously, stroking her insides with an expertise she would rather not think about, unless she wanted to turn into a jealous harpy. "More," she murmured, hungry for sensations after having been neglected for so long.

He obliged her by adding a second finger, then a third, his hand moving in and out in a tantalizing way. "You are so hot, so wet for me," he mumbled, watching her attentively.

"Can you not see that I am truly ready?" she murmured. "I need you now, Thranduil, I need all of you."

He quickly removed her leggings entirely, making sure that the cloak was covering her, and with one sure thrust, he took her against the tree like a commoner. He could not believe he was doing this, but Valar, it felt glorious!

"All of you," she reminded him, stopping him mid-thrust. He took her lips again and lifted her left leg around his waist, reaching a deeper penetration than before.

"Are you in pain?" he asked against her lips, worrying that she had not truly recovered from the birth of their daughter.

"No," she moaned.

"Would you tell me if you were?"

"Nope," she laughed lightly, "but I am not. Give me more, my love, more... Oh gods, it feels so good. Do not stop!"

He was amazed to see how her pleasure was building quickly, but his own was no different. He had been dreaming of her for months. He sometimes had been watching her while she slept, while he was keeping her prisoner, as she had described it. How many times had he been about to wake her up, apologize and make love to her during these months? More times than he could remember. Only his stubbornness and pride had stopped him from fixing this mess. How she was forgiving him so easily was beyond his understanding, but he would not complain. Not when he could feel the pleasure filling all his limbs, from his groin to the tip of his fingers in the most erotic way.

She was close, he could tell, and so was he. It would probably be their shortest coupling ever.

"Do it now, Thranduil," she reminded him.

"Are you sure?"

"Is my Sindarin so bad that even you cannot understand me? Yes!" It was strange to see her so passionate, yet so impatient. It almost made him feel like an elfling being chastised by an adult.

He closed his eyes, wondering if it would work. He had never attempted to do this, this bonding, this link between two fëa-mates. He focused his attention on his own soul, feeling it, feeling the little nudge of darkness contained inside, but there was no turning back. If he did not do it, he would lose her, of that he was certain. Having cognizance of his fëa, he projected it, trying to find the other fëa so close to him. There it was, her fëa, so young, so pure, so sure of itself. Instinctively, like thousands of elves before him, he forced his fëa into hers, intertwining them tightly, and then it hit him. He could feel her, hear her, understand her as if he was listening to his own self. The overwhelming sensation of their fëar finally bonded and the intense physical pleasure of the love act were too much for him. He came in violent shudders, listening to her cries of pleasure, feeling her own pleasure into his soul. It was... indescribable.

Phoebe came down from her high faster than he did, and was able to watch his face contorting in excruciating pleasure. But soon, he hid his face against her neck, and while he remained inside her, he made sure she was not cold by closing her cloak around them.

Phoebe had never felt anything like this. She could feel him like never before. His emotions were all over the place, but despite her perplexity, it felt too good for her to regret it. He had not lied to her. While their fëar had been connected in the most intimate of ways, she had felt it, that darkness he had been describing before. Some malice, lying quietly in a corner of his soul. Anger, cruelty, cupidity, a hunger for power that could be overwhelming for a king who had the means to listen to that malice.

"The darkness..." she said in his ear, caressing his long, silky hair. He froze against her. "It does not want me crowned."

"My darker side does not want to share, wants to hold all the power... this is why you will be crowned immediately when we get back to Greenwood. The power will be split between us." He moved away when she did not answer and watched her warily. "Phoebe? This was my condition, remember?"

"Yes... I will become queen. And together, we will fight your darkness. Our shared darkness now."

She took his lips very lovingly, trying to tell him without words how much she cared for him.

Back at the camp, Valerie was rocking her impatient granddaughter, who was hungry by then. Phoebe and Thranduil were not back yet, and quite frankly, she did not feel like following them in the woods, and it was obvious that Glorfindel felt the same.

"They are back," he murmured, keeping his eyes on his wife as if he had not heard them.

"It is about time," Valerie whispered back. "How do they look?"

"They look... Well, his arm is around her waist, like if he owned her."

Valerie discreetly looked up and saw what Glorfindel was describing. "They look like a couple that just bound... Is it possible? Did she succeed in pushing him into a real bonding?"

"It would seem that she did. He looks at her like she is a walking miracle."

"We were no different when we were first bound," she reminded him. "And now..."

"And now you still are my walking miracle," he cut before she could make a depreciating jest about herself.

She smiled to him and put her attention back to the little elfling who was sucking her little fist in hunger. Soon, the couple was standing in front of them all.

"We will depart tomorrow at dawn," the Elvenking declared haughtily.

Valerie looked at Glorfindel. Some things never changed. The king of Greenwood may have finally allowed his bond with their daughter to be complete, he was still the same unpleasant ellon.

"To where?" Valerie asked her daughter, even if she already knew the answer.

"Greenwood, of course," Phoebe replied, "before the mountain pass becomes impassable. The only question is, will you allow us to bring Oropher and Mithrellas with us as originally planned?"

The two elflings in question had been put in bed, but were not asleep in a nearby tent.

"Yes please!" they heard Oropher's voice plead. "Tell them you want it too!" he cried to his sister.

"I would like to go, Nana," Mithrellas said more quietly, but they all knew she would be livid if their parents refused to let her go. Her disappointment had been crushing when they had turned around to go back home.

Around the fire, Legolas had tensed, awaiting the answer that would tell him if his future mate would be visiting Greenwood for a few months.

Elladan nodded to Glorfindel, telling him he was still in agreement to go to Greenwood to keep an eye on the two elflings.

"I will take good care of them," Phoebe promised.

"Well, why don't you start by taking care of your own child," Valerie said, giving the baby to her daughter. "She is very hungry."

"She is very demanding," the new mother sighed.

"I know for a fact that you are used to dealing with demanding people," Valerie replied with a smirk.

"Why do I feel this was a shot aimed in my direction?" Thranduil commented.

"I was talking about Oropher," Valerie lied with assurance. "But if you think it runs in your family... Who am I to say otherwise?"

"Will you allows us to take them to Greenwood?" Phoebe insisted before her mate and her mother started arguing.

"Yes," Valerie replied, suddenly somber. If she were honest with herself, she had not been unhappy that they had turned around to go back to Imladris. She had no idea how she would cope with the absence of Mithrellas and Oropher for many long months. She had many elflings to take care of, but she wanted them all within her sight, she wanted to know that they were safe with Glorfindel and her. And now... they were about to go through the mountain pass, cross the forest where huge spiders were nesting... and they would have to do the same to come back home.

Knowing how she felt because he was feeling the same, Glorfindel took her hand. She kissed his knuckles then stood and left everyone without saying good night, impulsively deciding to sleep in her children's tent that night, to spent a few more moments with them before their separation.

A few weeks later, Valerie easily gave birth to another silver-haired ellon. An eagle was sent to Lothlorien to announce the joyful news and inquire about the identity of the elfling, as they had always done in the past. Unexpectedly, the answer did not immediately come back by a message from Galadriel, carried by the same eagles. Worried at the unexpected delay, Valerie and Glorfindel wondered if the eagles had been caught by orcs and killed. Glorfindel went back to the borders and the child was given a temporary name, as they had done with Nimrodel and Mithrellas decades before.

The mystery was solved when Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel arrived in person after a difficult journey through the mountain pass, while an early winter had started in the mountains.

Valerie had given birth to Galadhon, Lord Celeborn's father. The rulers of Lothlorien spent half a year in Imladris before Celeborn was able to return to his realm with a promise to come back regularly to participate in his adar's second upbringing.

* * *

A/N: So now that Phoebe and Thranduil are truly bonded, do you think that she will become as dark as he is? And what about the new elfling, Celeborn's father, was it a surprise for you? In the next chapters, there will be a major time jump to bring us to the LOTR timeline. And we will enter the second part of the story, which will be more dramatic than in the previous versions.

Fihunt: Cad and Bret did what they could under the circumstances. Bringing her back screaming and kicking was obviously not a great idea (although it may have been Thranduil's first choice), they preferred to just ensure her protection while she traveled through the mountain pass – and they will not be blamed for it! No, the elfling was not Adam as he is not a prophecy elfling to be reborn…

Paperlanterns86: do you think that Thranduil was right to avoid a complete binding in order to protect Phoebe from the darkness in him?

Princessnera: do you think Thranduil got it easy, after Glorfindel's scolding, Valerie's slap and Phoebe's punch in the face? I think he took all three events quite well, for someone so short-tempered!

Shetan20: thank you for your review. I appreciate your regular encouragements.

Glassary: I completely agree, but the fact that they have such issues provides us with great entertainment! And after hearing Thranduil's side, do you think he was justified to allow only a partial bond?

RW28: the birth of their daughter helped soften Thranduil before their reconciliation. And then, they found common grounds, now that Phoebe fully understands him…

faye50free: but they fixed it! From now on, you will see these two will be more attuned to each other…

Maggie: Thranduil got more than a tongue lashing, and he finally explained himself to Phoebe. Did you like my choice of last prophecy elfling?

ColdOnePaul: He was able to convince her by finally explaining his side of the story, and Phoebe understood that he had created an incomplete bond to protect her. But, this didn't explain the confinement in her room (only his difficult character), but she was willing to forgive once they had a real elven bond between them…

vikingswordoftruth: I am glad that you found my story. Did you read the other versions too? Let me know which version is your favorite.


	23. Chapter 23 - Taken

_Chapter 22 ended with:_

 _Valerie had given birth to Galadhon, Lord Celeborn's father. The rulers of Lothlorien spent half a year in Imladris before Celeborn was able to return to his realm with a promise to come back regularly to participate in his adar's second upbringing._

 **Warnings: there are two time jumps in this chapter. One of ten years, and another one of more than 50 years to bring us to the events of the Lord of the Rings. I also took some liberties about how Aragorn and Arwen met...**

 **Chapter 23 – Taken**

 _Imladris, Year 2952 of the Third Age_

 _10 years after the last events_

Arwen observed the sisters as Valerie was finalizing the complicated bun on top of Allison's head. The sisters were discussing various matters and sharing the latest gossips with Arwen, trying to include her in their conversation, but it was clear that the sisters were extremely close. They shared an understanding, a sense of humor that made Arwen feel left out. She knew she only had herself to blame. If she had stayed in Imladris more frequently, she would be the one who was so close to Valerie.

"And have you seen how Elrinor has the same manners than Erestor?" Allison laughed. "It is driving Elrohir insane. How he wished that his son would be a promising warrior!"

"It is not too late for him to develop an interest in warfare," Valerie defended her only nephew.

"Let us be realistic. He will be a scholar, it is obvious. Elrohir will have to accept that."

"You can always have another elfling," Valerie suggested.

"We will see. I do not like the idea of having another child when Elrohir spends so much time at the borders. What do you think, Arwen?"

The elleth simply waved her hand, indicating she had no opinion on the matter. The sisters shared a glance. Allison stood, her hair looking as perfect as she had wanted, and left the room while Valerie turned to her friend.

"Arwen, please stop being so nervous," Valerie asked her friend for the tenth time in the past hour. "Everything will be fine. It is not the first gathering of our families taking place in Imladris!"

"It is the first time since I am back from my prolonged visit to Lothlorien."

"I still cannot fathom why you stayed there so long, just to avoid meeting Estel. He is such a charming young man. I love him like a son."

"This is exactly why I avoided him like the plague. I am done getting attached to the descendants of my father's twin brother. Heartache after heartache when they die... I want to break this cycle. If he comes to our celebration, then I will meet an adult man for whom I will have no feelings, and will not be overwhelmed with sadness when he finally passes. And I will do the same for all the children this man will have in the future."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Valerie replied with sarcasm. The efforts Arwen was putting into not getting attached to the rangers were almost funny. Each time Estel was coming to Imladris, she left for long rides and journeys until he left. As a result, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Estel when he was in Imladris, was now a 21-year-old ranger, and she had never laid her eyes on him.

"Thank you," Arwen replied, not even realizing that Valerie was laughing at her.

"I am sure you will not like him anyway," Valerie said lightly. "When he arrives, he usually is so dirty, I can barely tell it is him. I have no idea what he is doing on the road, but obviously, he lives in the wild most of the time."

"Even better."

"I do not even think he will be coming," Valerie said, disappointed. "The feast is in a few hours, and he is not here yet."

At that moment, a servant knocked and entered, reporting that a group of rangers had arrived. Valerie jumped to her feet. "Where are they?"

"The group was provided rooms in the guest aisle. Estel went to his former chambers, but left them right away to visit your children."

"I have to go!" Valerie cried. She left the room without a look back.

"What excitement for a simple ranger," Arwen sighed.

"Estel is very loved in Imladris, my Lady. He spent most of his childhood here, being raised by Lady Valerie while his mother was grieving. Even our lord developed strong feelings for him, and your brothers treat him like a brother."

"Is everything ready?" Arwen asked to change the subject.

"Yes, your grandparents are resting before the feast, and the royal family of Greenwood is back from a ride in the valley with Lord Glorfindel. The kitchen staff is almost ready, and the minstrels know exactly what they have to do. Lady Valerie organized everything in her usual, precise manner. She is ready for any event."

"Including my brothers causing a scandal, or the Elvenking complaining about the food or his lodgings?"

"That too," the servant confirmed with a smile.

Arwen had returned to Imladris more than 5 years before after an absence of many decades. Before leaving, she had left the duties of first lady of Imladris to Valerie, who had taken up the challenge in her very capable hands. When she came back, Arwen had quite frankly been dreading to take back these duties, but Elrond had kept going to Valerie for the organization of his household, somehow knowing Arwen did not like being involved in such things. Valerie had remained the person directing the various staff members that were not directly working with Elrond.

"Did you need help with your hair?" the servant asked.

"Valerie did Allison's hair, but she left before doing mine," Arwen pouted while the servant took a brush from Arwen's hand.

Valerie had been in a hurry to leave, knowing that Estel was in her apartment with her children. When she entered, she could hear a lot of voices in the children's rooms. There were many people there! She silently walked to one of the doors and watched the many children and adults as they talked and laughed together.

Valerie's youngest child, the 10-year-old Galadhon, was speaking so quickly to Estel that the ranger could barely follow the conversation. The elfling, Lord Celeborn's reborn adar, was just a few weeks younger than Phoebe's daughter Aranel. Since his birth, Celeborn and Galadriel had traveled thrice to Imladris, wanting to be part of the child's life.

Mithrellas and Nimrodel, who were now 31 years old but still looked like ten-year-old girls, were a few years away from a growth spurt that would give them the look of mortal teenagers. They were sitting with Legolas in a corner of the room, while he had his little sister Aranel in his lap. Valerie's daughters were fussing over their younger niece, playing with her long silvery hair.

Valerie's other sons were standing around Estel and Galadhon, listening to their conversation with little patience, waiting for their turn to give him news about themselves. Oropher, Turgon and Gil-galad started pushing Galadhon away, but Estel did not allow them to do so. He took the small Galadhon in his arms and started asking the young ellyn how they were doing with their archery training. The three of them started talking all at once, describing how their adar had given them a bow, and how he was training them each time he was in Imladris.

At that moment, Estel lifted his eyes and saw the elleth who was his second mother. He smiled to her, his usual kind smile. She walked up to him, opening her arms. He put Galadhon down on his feet and engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Estel, I am so glad that you made it! How is your mother?"

"She is doing well. She wrote you a letter. It is in my room."

"Oh, I missed you so much," she murmured against his chest. "It has been at least a year since your last visit." She moved away and took a good look at him. "You are wearing the same clothes, except they are much dirtier and torn! Did you even wash them in the last 12 months? You could have washed before visiting us, have I not taught you any manners?" she asked, half-laughing, half-serious.

"I could not wait one more minute to see you," he laughed. "And yes, I have washed my clothes, in rivers, when I could. I cannot remember when was the last time though!"

"Go!" she said, slapping him on the shoulder, "you do not have much time before the feast. I want you to take a bath, shave and change into some of your best clothes. I want to introduce you to Arwen."

"I will make a special effort then! I would not want to shame you in front of Imladris!"

"I am never ashamed of you! Have you seen Glorfindel?"

"Yes, I saw him when I arrived. He looks good, relaxed..."

"Yes... he has not had a nightmare in a few months. How do you find the kids?"

"Stranger than ever. Nimrodel, Mithrellas and Oropher are older than me, they used to be my playmates, and here they are, looking like the 10-year-old children in my village. This is... I cannot get used to it."

Her hands traveled on his broad shoulders. He truly looked like a man, a dangerous one too. "Your father would have been so proud of you. I know Elrond and Glorfindel are."

"And you?" he asked, smiling.

"I am proud of you too. And scared. I hate knowing that you are traveling all over Middle Earth, meeting dangerous people. I would prefer if you were here, with me, with all my children."

"I would be bored to death. I love my life. Glorfindel, Elrohir and Elladan prepared me for it. I am grateful to them. And to you." He took her hand and held it, searching her eyes.

"I love you," she said, putting her other hand on his bearded cheek, "now go get ready. We will not wait for you if you are late."

He laughed, and giving quick hugs to the ones he considered his small siblings, he left the room.

"Nana?" Mithrellas asked. "Did you make sure to sit Legolas at our table?"

"No, Sweetie, I am sorry. Legolas is the prince of Greenwood, the heir to the throne. We owe him respect and as such, he will be at the table of honor with the king of Greenwood."

"Why is Phoebe always sitting with Legolas?" Gil-galad asked.

Valerie looked at the only white-haired elf ever born, or reborn in that case. "Phoebe is the queen of Greenwood. We owe her the same respect."

"Is Phoebe your naneth?" Galadhon asked Legolas.

"She is not, moron!" Nimrodel cried. "Phoebe is only 38 years old!"

"Phoebe is not an elfling!" Turgon shouted to his older sister. "You are lying!"

"Stop it!" Valerie cut, seeing that the situation was about to degenerate. "Nimrodel, Mithrellas, go see Sidhwen and get ready for the feast. I want you to behave tonight, Nimrodel," she warned, displeased with her daughter who liked to tease her brothers. "And you, boys, go see Hiriliel to get ready. She is waiting for you."

"Nana, why is Phoebe not an elfling if she is only 38 years old?" Mithrellas asked. She knew Phoebe was only 7 years older than her, and yet, she had been married to the Elvenking for more than a decade. Why was she still so small, developing so slowly? She was too young to know that she was destined to be with Legolas, but she knew she wanted to be close to him, somehow knew there would be more one day, once she was a grown-up. She could not wait to become of age.

"Phoebe is a half-elf, like I am, and like your aunt Allison," she explained for at least the tenth time. But it did not sink in, they were too young to understand what it truly meant.

"Was Adam a half-elf too?" Oropher asked, his voice trembling. Her older elflings had not forgotten their brother who had died 20 years before, killed by orcs.

The question hit Valerie like a bullet in her heart. Legolas saw how she suddenly lost all her colors.

"Adam was a half-elf," he said, turning everyone's attention to him, giving Valerie some time to recover. "And if we are patient, he will be reborn one day."

"You should not promise them that," Valerie murmured, sitting down on a nearby chair. "We do not know that for sure."

"I remember your naneth asking you to get ready for the feast," Legolas reminded the children. They all flew from the room, leaving him alone with Valerie and Aranel. He walked to Valerie, Aranel in his right arm, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We have to hope. All of us who love a half-elf. We need to protect you at all costs. Glorfindel, Elrond, Elrohir, Elladan, my adar... myself... we all love a half-elf, as a mate or as close family. When Adam will be reborn, we will all be relieved to get a confirmation that half-elves also go to the Halls of Mandos."

"Thank you," she said, touching his hand on her shoulder. "Now go get ready. I am sure your adar and Phoebe are looking for you and Aranel."

An hour later, Elrond was welcoming his guests with one of his memorable speeches. Busy being the perfect host, he missed what Valerie and Galadriel had not. Arwen and Estel could barely stop looking at each other.

Valerie observed the people around, to see if someone else had noticed. Thranduil looked bored but proud of his mate, his hand possessively on the arm of a magnificent Phoebe at his side. She was wearing a crown covered in diamonds. All eyes were on her, and the Elvenking seemed to appreciate that. This must have been why people were not noticing that Arwen was not speaking to anyone around her.

After the second course, Estel excused himself and a few moments later, Arwen stood, probably to follow him, Valerie suspected. She grabbed her friend's hand before she could go.

"What do you think you are doing?" she whispered.

"I cannot come and go in my own house without your permission?"

"Do not take me for an idiot," Valerie warned. "Do not play with him!"

"I am not playing. I just want to speak to him."

Arwen pulled her hand out of Valerie's grip and followed Estel out of the hall.

Valerie tried to eat the third course, the food had to be delicious but she could not taste it at all. Arwen had never seen Estel before, and yet, the way they had looked at each other when their eyes had met? It had been exactly like Legolas when he was looking at Mithrellas, or how Glorfindel was looking at her before their binding. But Estel was a mortal! A Dunedain gifted with a long life, but a mortal nonetheless. Did he still have enough elven blood in his veins to explain the fascination Arwen had for him?

She felt her mate's hand on hers. "You are worried," Glorfindel whispered in her ear.

"I am sorry, I need... I need a moment," she said, standing up. She left the hall, unable to reassure her mate that everything was fine.

She walked in a few hallways until she found them. Arwen had not wasted a moment. She was standing in front of Estel, her hands on his shoulders, telling him about fëa-mates. Valerie hid behind a column to observe them. Estel was so shocked that he did not even know they were being observed.

"Lady Arwen, you are talking nonsense. You are an elf, daughter of a Lord. I am nothing but a mortal ranger."

"Can you deny the bond between us?"she asked, sure of herself.

He looked away, but it was answer enough.

"I have been waiting for you for thousands of years," she murmured. "I care not if I am an elf. My siblings and I have been offered the gift of Men. We can either decide to be elven or mortal."

"No!"

"For you, I would forsake my immortality," she said passionately.

"I cannot accept it," he replied, finally pushing her away. He devoured her with his eyes, but was able to stay away from the temptation.

"We are fëa-mates. I will never stop trying to seduce you. Our bond is irresistible. One day... we will be bound. There is no use fighting it. It is our destiny."

Estel turned around and left, walking in the direction of his chambers. Arwen stayed there for a little while and eventually left in the direction of her own apartment.

Valerie remained hidden, leaning her head against the column until she heard a voice behind her.

"Adar will kill him," Elladan said somberly.

"We must not tell him," she replied.

"Estel must leave Imladris before dawn," Elrohir added, a command in his voice. Already, his love for the ranger had dimmed, since he may be the cause of the death of his dear sister. He was subtly asking Valerie to inform Estel that he was no longer welcome in their realm.

"It is too late," the grave voice of Galadriel was heard behind them three. They turned around to look at her. "Elrond knows. He has foreseen it, although he did not tell you."

"Will she truly bind herself to him, and... die?" Valerie asked, heartbroken.

"I have seen it. If he accomplishes his destiny... they will be together."

"Why did you not tell us?" Elrohir spat. "We would not have raised him here!"

"It would have happened regardless. I weigh up the options, and considered it was best for him to be raised by elves. At least... he will know all about her people. And he is a cultured man."

"What can we do to stop it?" Valerie asked, almost whining.

"There is no stopping it. It is too late. You can only be a good friend for her. She will need it. He will fight the pull, and it will sadden her greatly."

"Valerie?" a voice asked near them. Glorfindel was wondering why his mate had left the feast, and was disquieted by the fact that she was overwhelmed by a discussion with Elrond's sons and their grandmother.

"Glorfindel!" she cried, leaving the family without ceremony. "We will lose her!"

"Lose whom?" he asked, immediately thinking of his three daughters and his granddaughter.

"Arwen! She wants to forsake her immortality to bind with Estel!"

Glorfindel looked up at Elrond's sons and Lady Galadriel, who all nodded in confirmation.

"We have to make sure this will be delayed for as long as possible. He must leave immediately."

"I will go see him," Valerie said.

"I am going with you," Glorfindel decided.

The twins were about to follow when Galadriel stopped them. "Not you. They are like parents to him. It is up to them to speak with Estel. They must make him see reason."

When Valerie and Glorfindel knocked on his door, there was no answer. They entered and saw that all his belongings were already gone. He had left Imladris without the other Dunedain rangers.

They would not see him again for at least three decades. Because of their separation, both Arwen and him would long for the moment when they could be together.

OoOoO

 _The Mountain Pass, Year 3010 of the Third Age_

 _58 years later_

Valerie was traveling to Greenwood with an escort comprised of many warriors, including three of her sons. It was a farewell tour for Oropher, who, at the reborn age of 83 years old, was planning to sail soon to join his wife Tialyn who was waiting for him in Valinor.

He was the only one of her reborn children who had a spouse in the Undying Lands. Turgon and Galadhon had been bonded in their first life while Nimrodel had had a lover, but they all remembered that their spouses were still in the Halls of Mandos before they were reborn themselves. They were in no hurry to sail back. As for Gil-galad, he had never bonded with an elleth, while Mithrellas had been happily married to Legolas for the past 39 years.

Her sons and daughters had grown relatively peacefully in Imladris. The reborn elves had retrieved their memories around their majority. Nimrodel and Mithrellas had started having memories of each other first, and their parents had had to explain the concept of reborn elves and what these images were in their case. They had asked many questions and even read books that mentioned them. It had taken a few more months before they recalled their first love.

Nimrodel had remembered King Amroth of Lorien for the first time a few months after her coming of age. Although the memories were disturbing and sad, she had explained to her family how she had lost the group of people traveling to Belfalas to sail to the Undying Lands. Lost in the forest, she had eventually found her way to the port. Unfortunately, the ship had sunk with the king on board. Nimrodel had slowly faded in the forest, not wanting to live anymore once Amroth had passed to the Halls of Mandos.

Mithrellas' memories were almost as somber. She had remembered when their group had gotten separated on their way to Belfalas. Unlike Nimrodel, she had been found by a man named Imrazor, the prince of Belfalas. He had passionately fallen in love with her and she had accepted to marry him. She had given him a son and a daughter, both of them mortals although they had been long-lived. After two decades, she no longer had been able to deny that her marriage had not been as strong as an elven bonding and she had left Imrazor, never be seen again by her family. She had admitted that like Nimrodel, she had let herself fade alone in the forest. Unlike Nimrodel, Mithrellas' husband had not been her fëa-mate, and she had been ready to bind with Legolas soon after her coming of age, as she had dreamed for most of her childhood. The prince had been delicate enough not to inquire about her first marriage, and she had eventually been able to share cherished memories of her two children as they had been growing. The couple had decided to wait before having elflings of their own, as Mithrellas was afraid that the memories of her past would alter how she raised her future ones. She needed more time to discover who her new self was as a reborn elleth.

Seeing that a proactive approach had worked well for their daughters, Valerie and Glorfindel had started telling their other children about reborn elves and their own rebirth and past lives. Turgon and Gil-galad had found hilarious that they both had been High Kings of the Noldor, although Turgon had always argued that he must have been a better king than Gil-galad since he had been King of Gondolin as well. They had not found their past as pleasant once the memories of their passing came back. These had been troubled times indeed, as Turgon had struggled with memories of the fall of Gondolin while Gil-galad had remembered his death as he had fought Sauron with Elendil. Glorfindel had guided them as they had started struggling with nightmares, but fortunately, these had ceased after a few years. Turgon had never viewed Glorfindel as his vassal, now considering him as a relative and close friend.

Galadhon had had difficulty getting used to the idea that Celeborn was his son. For many years, he had only wanted a quiet life with his second family, but eventually, he had worked things out with Celeborn and had spent many years in Lothlorien, Nimrodel usually traveling with him to spend time with her old friends who had not sailed since her first life.

As a teenager, Oropher had been pleased to know that he was related to the Greenwood royal family, although it had taken quite some time before he truly realized that he was Thranduil's father. And then, memories of his death at the battle of Dagorlad troubled him just as much as Turgon and Gil-galad had been. He also became one of the few people still in Middle Earth who knew about Thranduil's dragon burns, although he was the only one who remembered his son's excruciating pain and his pleas to kill him to end his agony. It had been the most difficult decision of his life. Seeing his son's destroyed body and realizing he would never heal, yet never finding the courage to end his pain. Saruman had helped them, thank the Valar, and Thranduil had somehow recovered but his son had never been the same. Oropher's greatest regret was that he had not been able to spare his son this terrible destiny. However, the fact that Thranduil seemed to have found happiness with Phoebe was an unhoped-for relief.

All the reborn elves, now adults, had settled into brotherly affection, decades of growing up together making their relationships much more caring than anyone would have expected. This was what Valerie and Glorfindel had been able to accomplish. Making a family out of these reborn Noldorin, Sindarin and Silvan elves and their half-elven sister Phoebe. Regardless of their origins, statuses and original parentage, all of them were close and loved each other as if they all shared the same blood. This had been their second parents' most incredible achievement.

As for Estel, he had definitively been ensnared by Arwen after they had met again in Lothlorien, but Elrond had told him he would never allow him to marry his daughter unless he was claiming the throne of Gondor. The elven lord knew that this would put a stop to their courting until Estel was worthy of the Evenstar. The ranger had spent countless hours telling Valerie how he did not want to become king, nevertheless pondering if he should not face his destiny, conquer the throne and ask for her hand in marriage.

Valerie had traveled many times in Middle Earth, rallying all nations behind her reborn children, preparing for a war that could start anytime now. All the signs were there that Sauron would attack soon. They were assured of the support of the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth and their new prince, Imrahil, who had succeeded to his father a few months before. Mithrellas had been key in securing their support. The people of Dol Amroth were fascinated by their ancestor who had been reborn and who was now married to an elven prince in Greenwood, or Mirkwood, as the mortals were now calling the Elvenking's realm.

Valerie had become friends with the sons of the Steward of Gondor. Nothing could be done with their father, blinded by his desire to take the crown of Gondor. He knew that Isildur's heir had been found, and he had tried to persuade Valerie to tell him who he was and where he was. She had never told him, knowing it would probably have been signing Estel's death warrant. Denethor would have no scruples to execute the last heir to the throne to secure his own claim.

The family had been living in relative serenity for many decades, despite the fact that Middle Earth had grown dark again, with Sauron's eye at the top of his tower in Mordor, ever since Lady Galadriel had sent him there one horrible night in Dol Goldur. All realms were being regularly attacked by bands of orcs, including Imladris, which explained why Glorfindel had remained home with Elrond's sons instead of traveling to Greenwood with his mate and their sons. Once their visit to Phoebe and Mithrellas was over, Valerie, her sons and their escort would make a detour to Lothlorien and bring back Nimrodel and Galadhon to Imladris. These two had been in the Golden Woods for almost a year.

Oropher, Turgon and Gil-galad were riding close to their second naneth, always worried for her security. By then, Valerie was no longer afraid of traveling. The warning received decades before, when Sauron's eye had tried to drown her in Galadriel's mirror, had long been forgotten in her mind, and she was adopting reckless behaviors too frequently for her own good. She liked to ride alone around Imladris, only armed with her bow and her foolhardiness, but she seemed protected by the Valar and she had never, not even once, met an evil creature since her encounter with a warg decades before in the forest of Greenwood. She had traveled all over Middle Earth and never had she felt in danger. This was why her sons were being cautious on her behalf, following her closely and keeping their eyes on the mountains to spot any trouble in advance.

How their attackers avoided being seen, no one would ever know. It would be an event that her three sons would ponder and feel guilty about for many decades to come. One instant, their group was traveling quietly in a long line, and the next, their line was broken in two groups by orcs.

Gil-galad could see his brothers fighting with orcs in the other group while he was the only one of Valerie's sons who was close to her. His sword kept slashing orc flesh while his mother was using her bow to kill assailants that were surrounding her. This is when he realized that this was no unplanned attack: the orcs were slowly but surely taking his naneth away from the group while she was fighting them. Around her, the warriors were overrun by the orcs, too many for the elven warriors to kill before it was too late.

He pushed his horse closer to his mother, but at that point, an orc had pulled her down her horse and she fell heavily to the ground.

"Naneth!" he cried, drawing the attention of his brothers. Oropher and Turgon tried to pass the orcs that were blocking their way, but their horses got killed and they suddenly found themselves on foot, encircled by orcs armed to the teeth.

Gil-galad rallied the few warriors still around him and tried again to reach his naneth, who was being dragged away from her escort quickly by a massive beast. She was struggling to get away with all her might, trying to remove the arm that was constricting her waist, but the orc got tired of the extra effort he had to make to bring her with him, and he simply hit her head with his fist. Valerie sagged into the arm like a ragged doll, and he put her on his shoulder like a sack, her long hair brushing the ground behind him.

As soon as the orc leader was out of sight, all the orcs stopped fighting and followed him in a close group. They soon disappeared, probably in a nearby cave. Many elves had lost their lives in the skirmish, while the elves who were still standing were frozen on the spot, wondering what had just happened, until Gil-galad cried, shaking himself out of his stupor: "They took Naneth! They only wanted to take Naneth!"

The uninjured elves decided to gather the horses that were still alive but realized that all but two had been killed – Gil-galad's and Valerie's were still standing. Turgon jumped on his mother's horse and followed Gil-galad, while the other elves followed on foot.

Everyone remembered the stories told by the warriors part of the search party who had finally located Lady Celebrian after her abduction. So far, the attack had been very similar. The difference was that the raid had just happened a few minutes ago. If they could find Valerie right away, she could be found still unharmed, still... intact. Really, no permanent damage could have been done in so short a time... At least, this was what her sons were praying for. Their hopes were higher than Elrond's back then, as he and his sons had been searching for his wife weeks after her disappearance.

The orcs had made no effort to erase their footprints. They led the elves up to the entrance of a cave. They slowly entered and followed a tunnel, listening for sounds of orcs walking ahead of them, but they were met by total silence. The passage led them to a bigger cave that opened on many different tunnels. There were footprints leading to each one of the tunnels.

"They are trying to lose us," Oropher murmured, his voice echoing louder than he expected.

"They are only ten of us left," Turgon said. "There are five tunnels. We have to find the one that has Naneth's footprints."

"She was no longer walking, she was being carried," Gil-galad informed them somberly. "We have to split up, two per tunnel. We have to agree to come back here in two hours. If she is found by a group, one of you will have to come back here to inform the others. The other should keep following them. We can regroup in two hours and follow the group who found her."

They all nodded and followed different passages in groups of two. Oropher was the first one back with his partner, having followed the footprints that came out of the mountain and led to a different cave where multiple tunnels had been followed by the orcs. They had searched around for a little while, but there had been too many paths and orcs had wandered in all of them. They had almost gotten lost.

Each group came back empty-handed, hoping the others had found Valerie. Turgon and Gil-galad came back last, having experienced the same frustrating searches than the others.

"They seem to have mapped all the caves and tunnels around, and knew exactly how to confuse us and lose us," Oropher cried, enraged, hitting a rock with his fist.

No one wanted to say it out loud, but two hours were enough time to seriously hurt Valerie. They had no idea in what state they would find her now.

"We need more warriors," Gil-galad said. "We need to send word to Imladris and ask for help while some of us remain here to search for her. We need to get Elladan and Elrohir here fast. They may remember some of these caves."

"Oh Valar, we need to tell Adar that we lost Naneth." Turgon's expression was tortured when he mumbled these words. "He will... he will not take this well." They all knew Glorfindel's nightmares would come back with a vengeance.

They sent three scouts to Imladris to communicate the disturbing news, hoping that by the time the additional reinforcements arrived, Valerie would have been found... not too badly harmed.

* * *

A/N: This is the drama I had announced in my previous notes... The story will turn darker for a little while. You will see the events from Valerie's point of view in the next chapter.

Glassary: I hope you won't find the next events too dark. I am going where I didn't go in the other stories…

Paperlanterns86: Galadhon was a good choice to ensure the support of Lothlorien, along with Nimrodel and Mithrellas!

Princessnera: Thranduil doesn't like to open up and share his emotions with anyone. He really is damaged inside-out, and having normal reactions is not natural. She will teach him that over the years!

Maggie: they will both rub off on each other, Phoebe becoming darker and him becoming… as light as he could ever be. Which is not much, unfortunately! But the darkness will not win.

Shetan20: thank you, let me know what you think of the turns of events.

Fihunt: Phoebe punched him too, let's not forget that! They will be stronger against the darkness, but it will definitely impact Phoebe over time too.

Aralinn: your theory is right on, this is what I was trying to reflect. Burned by a dragon, corrupted by the dragon, physically and mentally… She will not be corrupted completely, but she will change.

Guest: thank you for your reviews. If you cried, that means I was able to make you feel their emotions, as I was attempting. I am happy about that, but I also like that I made you laugh too with the dwarves!


	24. Chapter 24 - Queen of the Shadows

_Chapter 23 ended with:_

 _They sent three scouts to Imladris to communicate the disturbing news, hoping that by the time the additional reinforcements arrived, Valerie would have been found... not too badly harmed._

 **Chapter 24 – Queen of the Shadows**

 _Greenwood_

"Sire, a letter has arrived from Imladris, carried by an eagle. The eagle left, no reply seemed expected."

"Bring it to the queen," Thranduil said, not even lifting his eyes from the parchment he was writing on. Oropher and Valerie were on their way to Greenwood, and someone was probably sending them a letter, assuming they had arrived already. He was expecting his guests to arrive within the week, if all went well during their journey.

"It is addressed to you, your Highness."

Thranduil sighed and pushed his parchment away. He took the missive from the hands of the servant and dismissed him. He waited until he was alone to open it. He had recognized Elrond's handwriting; Elrond never wrote to give him pleasant news. Those were usually written by Lord Erestor. The fact that the lord of Imladris had sent him a missive was a concern.

He broke the seal and read the succinct sentences. He just stared at the words, petrified. He shook himself and almost called back the servant, but realized it would be best if he announced the news to his mate, his daughter and daughter-in-law in person. He recalled that there was a musical gathering with the ladies of Greenwood that afternoon, one that Phoebe had promised to attend.

Phoebe had changed since their second binding right after Aranel's birth. He had not noticed it immediately, since she had been a new naneth struggling to learn how to take care of an infant. But as soon as Aranel had reached the tender age of two, Phoebe had expressed the desire to go to the borders again in order to fight with the warriors once in a while. This had been an epic fight. That was about the time that he noticed the changes in her. Gone were the innocence and spontaneity that had sometimes annoyed him. They had been replaced by calculating speculations about her next actions and the gains they could bring her, and by a self-assurance that had her oppose his will even more frequently than before. She had stood her ground with a stubbornness that matched his. He had immediately recognized himself in her, although she had kept her sense of humor and capacity to love the people close to her.

He had caved in. In the course of decades that followed, their relationship had gone from sweet and wary in the first years, to explosively passionate and argumentative. And he loved every minute of it. They were so busy ruling their kingdom and so engrossed in their relationship that both of them had never listened to the somber voice in their shared fëa as it tried to convince them to take over Middle Earth and all its treasures.

This is where their bond had been successful. Yes, Phoebe's character had changed and not for the better, but his had improved. They had found a happy medium that worked for the best of Greenwood while ensuring that Thranduil wouldn't fall into the darkness that was waiting to swallow him whole. And when the strain of the daily management of the kingdom became too much, the king and queen indulged themselves by going in the forest and participating in the cleaning of spider nests. The warriors were always grateful for their presence and support. The couple came back to the fortress in a much better mood, more in control of their volatile tempers.

And they lived their happiest moments with their beloved Aranel, with Legolas and Mithrellas, who never judged them, and with Oropher during his occasional visits.

All of this would be crashing down as soon as he told them what Elrond had written him.

Thranduil stood and left his private study, walking briskly in the direction of Aranel's apartment. He could hear the music of many instruments and remembered that Phoebe had predicted she would not resist the uncontrollable urge to fall asleep during the concert, not that she had told that to her daughter.

He entered, quickly assessing that his wife, daughter and daughter-in-law were all in attendance.

"Leave!" he ordered all the ladies in a menacing tone.

In a flurry of colorful fabrics, all the ellith were gone, taking their instruments with them. Thranduil gently caught Mithrellas' arm as she was leaving too. "You must stay," he said softly. He was very upset, that, the three ellith could easily tell.

His mate stood to face him. "What is wrong with you?" she asked, angered by his ill manners towards their daughter's ladies. "What have these poor ladies done to displease you?"

"Sit down, my love," he requested in a quiet tone. He took her arm and brought her back to her chair.

"Ada?" Aranel inquired, worried. "Did something happen to Legolas?"

"No, I would have felt it," Mithrellas said, her eyes closing as she attempted to feel her connection to Legolas.

"Legolas is fine," the Elvenking reassured them.

"Then what is the issue?" Phoebe asked, standing again.

"Your naneth."

Phoebe grabbed the arm of her chair and sat back down, her skin paler than he had ever seen.

"When she was crossing the mountain pass to come here... she was taken by orcs."

Aranel cried and Mithrellas took her in her arms. "What did they do to her?" Valerie's youngest daughter asked.

"They know not. She has not been found yet," Thranduil said, full of compassion.

"When was she taken?" Phoebe whispered.

"Two weeks ago."

"Oh Gods! Is she even still alive?" Phoebe murmured, closing her eyes. Two weeks were an eternity in the hands of orcs. "I have to go, I have to search her with my brothers."

His queen was not asking for his permission, she was simply informing him of her intent. Thranduil had been expecting her decision. "I will send a messenger to Legolas. He shall go with you. Bring some warriors. The mountain pass is full of caves, you will need help."

"Have they informed Nimrodel and Galadhon?" Mithrellas asked, knowing her siblings were in Lothlorien at the moment.

"Lord Elrond sent them a missive too. I expect that Galadhon will be joining in the searches as soon as he can make it to the mountains."

OoOoO

 _Two weeks earlier_

She had been unconscious for many hours. It had been early afternoon during the attack, and now, the moon and stars were in the sky.

 _Where am_ _I_ _?_ she wondered, making no movement that could show anyone that she was awake. She quickly looked around. She was still in the mountains. There was a fire to her left, with orcs around it, cooking something that smelled foul. _I was taken by_ _the_ _orcs!_ she suddenly realized. _Where are my sons, my escort?_ Obviously, they were nowhere near. Unless they were hiding and waiting to attack? A little voice in her mind told her that the orcs would not have made a fire if they did not think they were safe to do so. An elf could see a fire from very, very far. This did not bode well.

She looked to her right. More orcs, including the one who had grabbed her during the attack. And hit her. The back of her head was painful. She was sure she had a huge bump there, but it was the least of her concerns. Why had they taken her? Her only point of reference was Lady Celebrian's sad story. From the little that Elrohir had shared with her, the orcs had not wasted any time and had brought Elrond's mate to a cave where they had tortured her.

The orcs that had taken her seemed in no such hurry, until their leader said something she did not understand in the black speech. The orcs quickly finished eating and put out the fire.

She felt a not-so-gentle nudge in her back.

"I know you are awake, she-elf," a gravelly voice said behind her in the common tongue. "We will no longer carry you, you will walk from now on."

She turned around and saw the leader towering over her. He was by far the ugliest creature she had ever seen. His skin was dark gray and slimy, with pointy ears that grotesquely popped out of his head. However, his most impressive features were his yellow eyes and sharp teeth. And the claws he had on each one of his crooked fingers. And he was tall, so very tall.

The orc smiled cruelly as he observed her taking in how dangerous he was. The she-elf was brave, he had to give it to her. She had not screamed at the top of her lungs yet, something all females did once they saw him. She would soon understand it was in her best interest to be very obedient. She would spend a long, long, long time with them if all things went according to plan.

His second-in-command joined him. "We are ready to go," he told the leader. "We should stop at sunrise." This one looked cuter, from her perspective, in their abysmal scale of ugliness.

"Stand up," the leader ordered Valerie. Slowly, on feeble legs, she did. She was weak, she was cold, and she was hungry.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, as if he had been reading her mind.

Valerie stared at him. Did he truly expect her to eat whatever foul thing they had been eating before? It had smelled like grilled skunk. She was hungry, but not enough to eat _that_. Starving to death was a better option.

"We only have orc flesh," he informed her with a grin that was absolutely hideous on his face.

"You are eating each other?" she asked, disgusted. "Such sympathetic creatures you are."

She never saw coming the blow that the second-in-command gave her. It hit her on the cheekbone. She heavily fell to the ground, half-knocked out. But she was conscious enough to see the leader killing his own second-in-command by opening his stomach with his sharp claws. It seemed orcs had intestines after all. Not that she had ever wondered. It was knowledge she considered unnecessary.

"The Master wants her unspoiled. We will take care of her like nannies until our mission is over. You!" he yelled, pointing at another orc. "You will be my second-in-command from now on."

In Valerie's opinion, the chosen orc did not looked thrilled to have been promoted, and she understood why as she watched the remains of the previous holder of that position.

"Who is your master?" she asked from the ground. She did not expect an answer, and did not get one as she was lifted from the ground and pushed to start walking in the general direction of the south. It seemed _unspoiled_ was going to be limited to not hitting her. Violent shoves were allowed, obviously.

Night after night, they kept walking, and as the distance was growing between her and the mountains, so was Valerie's despair. Where were her sons? How could they have lost her trace? Turgon and Oropher were such good trackers! And Glorfindel? Did he know by now that she had been taken by orcs? Was he looking for her in the mountains with their sons? She prayed the Valar that her daughters were not participating in the searches, that they were safe in Greenwood and Lothlorien. Mithrellas and Nimrodel were not that strong. Phoebe was another story. She was probably roaming in the mountains with her adar, looking for her, killing orcs gruesomely to find some solace. Ever since her true bonding with Thranduil, Valerie had seen little flashes of darkness in her daughter's mind that had worried her. But the Elvenking and his queen seemed to be in symbiosis and quite in love, so it was not for her to comment. She had kept her worries to herself, knowing Phoebe would not welcome any advice on the matter of her bond.

Valerie kept thinking about her family, her mate, and although she knew that every passing night was bringing her farther away from them, at least, she was still alive, and mostly healthy, which meant she could potentially be reunited with them, hopefully soon.

When they reached the vicinity of Isengard, the orcs changed their course to avoid it completely. During the night, a few orcs went to a nearby village and stole a horse for her. And food. Valerie ate some bread for the first time in many days. Before then, the orcs had fed her with animal meat they had hunted, the leader's cruelty not so extreme as to force her to eat orc flesh.

After they got her a horse, the speed of their journey increased. Their route changed as they headed east, and at that point, she could not lie to herself anymore. She knew where they were taking her. Mordor. The region of Middle Earth that had grown so dark in the past decades. She had heard of Sauron's eye on top of a tower. Lord Elrond had been talking about it for some time now, and was hoping that a ring of power would never be found. This would give Sauron all his former powers, and if that ever happened, Middle Earth would fall.

Why was she being brought there? What was her purpose in this scheme? Did Sauron think that her abduction would bring all her sons and daughters forth and ease their murders? They were, after all, the children of the prophecy, and they were supposed to unite all races of Middle Earth to fight him. Sauron's orcs could have killed them in the mountains, and avoid going through the motion of bringing her into Mordor.

As their journey was bringing them closer to Mordor, hell in Middle Earth, her dread was growing tenfold. The orc leader still had never answered any of her questions, and she had stopped asking after a few days. He could sense her fear and did nothing to appease it. Cruel beast.

They took a road going east, and she turned her head around, trying to see the White City where she knew the Steward's sons were with their soldiers. It was her last chance. If she entered the gates of Mordor... she would never leave it, and no one would know what had happened to her.

The orcish leader appeared beside her horse. "Do not make the mistake of thinking you can escape. I will complete my mission to the Master's satisfaction."

"One day, I will kill you," she promised.

"I would like to see you try," he said, showing her his claws.

They followed a path that led to a fortress glowing in a greenish color under the moonlight. She knew it used to be a Gondorian fortress, Minas Ithil, until it had been taken by darkness. It was now called Minas Morgul, home of the Nazguls.

"The Master will be pleased to know you are finally here."

"Unspoiled," she added sarcastically.

The doors of the fortress started opening slowly, with a sinister noise that sent a jolt of panic into her soul. In the door was standing a cloaked form. It slowly started walking in their direction, the sounds of its metal armored feet menacing in the night.

"No!" she cried, jumping down her horse and bolting from her spot. She ran to the side of the road, where she could see stairs going high up in what seemed to be a cliff. In her back, she could hear the blood freezing scream of the Nazgul. She stopped to cover her ears, unable to think clearly with this sound in her mind. Once it stopped, she started climbing again, but her temporary paralysis had caused her to lose momentum. She felt the weight of a metal gauntlet on her shoulder, stopping her movements.

"You cannot escape," hissed a terrifying voice in her ear.

"Let me go," she begged, "I have not done anything!"

The Nazgul dragged her down the stairs and to the doors without answering.

"Please, please," she begged as she was being painfully pulled by the arm. The doors closed behind her and she found herself in a yard encircled by high walls. There was a huge door leading to the desolation that was Mordor. The fortress had many smaller doors leading to its interior, and near one of them was a group of Nazguls, looking like armors wearing cloaks. She could not see the face of any of these people except one, who walked to her once the Nazgul who had dragged her inside the castle let her go.

She could partially see the face of this one, although she wished she could not. He had the biggest mouth she had ever seen, with more teeth than she could count. She thought she had seen worms moves around his black gums. His helmet covered the top part of his head, and she wondered how horrible his face was for him to cover it like this. How did he even see her with his eyes covered, that is, if he even had eyes?

"Welcome to Minas Morgul, my Lady," the man said in the common tongue. "I am the Mouth of Sauron. If you will to follow me, your apartment is right there." He pointed one of the doors leading to a tower. He extended his hand to invite her to follow him, but she remained frozen on the spot. He was probably going to lead her to a prison cell.

"Follow me," he insisted. "Do not be afraid. The Master is very pleased that you have finally arrived. You are... his guest of honor."

It did not reassure her about her safety, but she realized she had no choice. There were nine Nazguls just beside them, waiting for her to make one small movement of escape before bringing her back in line, probably painfully.

Walking like a prisoner condemned to a life sentence, she followed the horrible man to the door and climbed the many stairs that brought her to a metal door that locked on the outside.

"You said I was not a prisoner, that I was a guest of honor," she remarked.

"And you are!" the man replied convincingly while lying through his numerous teeth. "But the Master is not convinced that you will not try to escape. These are just precautionary measures until we are certain that you are happy here."

She stared, wondering if he truly believed she would ever want to remain here, be happy here, while her mate and children were living in elven realms so far away.

"You will be happy here," the man said with certainty. "We will see to it."

He opened the door and she entered while he followed closely behind. The room was surprisingly comfortable, with a fire roaring in the hearth and two sofas. There even was many bookshelves, with very old books, and more recent ones. Tapestries showing battles and Sauron in his armor, so similar to the paintings in Imladris, were helping to keep the room warmer.

"Your bedroom is to your right, and your bathing room to the left," he informed her.

"Why am I here?" she asked, turning to him, hoping that she would get an answer from this man, something the orcs had failed to tell her.

"You are to become... our lady."

"What do you mean?"

"Our queen. The beloved of our master, once he regains a corporeal form."

"I am already bound!"

The man smiled with his huge mouth, as if he was talking to a simpleton. "This is not relevant. Your bond to him will be stronger than anything you have with an elf."

"And if I refuse?"

"I am afraid you do not have a say in the matter."

"I could kill myself, and your master's grand plan will go up shit's creek."

The man tutted in disapproval. "I am afraid your language is improper. This is why I am here. I am to teach you the black speech. I trust that you will be a good student."

"I will kill myself before I do so!"

"Look around you. There is nothing in these rooms that you could use to harm yourself. Now rest, food will be brought to you later, and tomorrow, our lessons will begin."

He bowed and left her, closing the door behind him. The noise of the lock sounded like the ring of the death knell of her freedom, and of herself as Valerie, Lady of the Golden Flower.

She fell to her knees and prayed, prayed the Valar that her mate would not fade, that her children would not risk their lives to save her, because she now knew. She knew she was doomed. No one would save her here.

OoOoO

She did not know how long she had been in Minas Morgul. She had stopped counting the days long ago. The Mouth was visiting her every day, speaking in the black speech, but she was mostly ignoring him, even if she was secretly looking forward to his visits. Distractions were lacking in her life. How did this language not hurt her ears like it did to the elves, she did not know. It may have been because she was a half-elf. She knew that against her will, her ear was getting used to the words, to the intonations...

She still felt combative, hoping that one day, her jailers would allow her to go outside, and then maybe, she could try to escape. Not that she thought she would actually succeed. Almost every day, she saw the Nazguls fly on these ugly dragons of theirs, their screams still hurting her ears. She observed that the number of orcs living in Mordor was increasing. And the Eye... the Eye that kept watching all of Middle Earth... Sometimes it turned to her window and she would hide, afraid of what this evil spirit wanted from her.

No, she did not think she could escape. But maybe... no, she could not wish for death. She knew that Glorfindel would fade if she died, and she wanted him to live. He could not return to the Halls of Mandos a second time. It was not an option. She had to remain alive for him, a prisoner of Sauron until the end of times, or until Sauron was defeated. She could endure this, for him.

"How long have I been here?" she asked the Mouth who was soliloquizing in her boudoir.

"I am glad to see that my lessons have not been in vain," he said, vastly pleased.

She frowned. "My Lady, you speak the black speech very well."

She had not even realized she had addressed him in the black speech instead of in the common tongue.

"How long?" she insisted.

"My Lady has been a beloved guest of Minas Morgul for almost a year now."

Valerie put a hand on her forehead, feeling a sudden headache. A year! That was much more than she had expected. How did she not see how the time was passing, both quickly and oh-so slowly.

"I would like to go out," she pleaded. "I have not seen the outside in so long. Please, I feel..." Suddenly, it felt like the walls were closing down on her, making the room smaller and smaller. "Please... speak to the Nazgul in charge, I know there is one."

"The king of Angmar does not have authority to make any decision about you," he informed her gravely. "If you wish to come out of your rooms, I will have to speak to the Master himself. Everything concerning you is being brought to our lord."

How he could speak to the Eye, she had no idea. She needed to breathe fresh air, she needed to see the sun and the moon with her own eyes, not through a window. She wanted to see trees, grass, little animals hiding behind bushes, she wanted to hear birds singing. She needed it, or she would go insane.

"Please..." she pleaded.

"I will speak to the Master and will let you know. Good day," he said, bowing to her like he always did.

She felt less oppressed once he left her apartment. She cried, knowing they had broken her. She had lasted longer than a true elf would have without becoming insane, but she could no longer cope with her imprisonment. She would do anything, anything, to come out of her cell.

The Mouth did not come back that afternoon. An orc brought her hot water and she bathed, then went to bed, hoping her dreams would be filled with images of Glorfindel. She missed him too much, felt a great emptiness, not unlike the feeling if her heart had been pulled out of her chest and thrown away.

She closed her eyes, picturing her mate coming back to Imladris after spending days at the borders, his golden armor shining under the sun. He was smiling in her direction, his eyes telling her what he rarely told her verbally.

Her eyes flew open. Something was amiss. Someone was in her apartment. Had the Mouth come back to let her know if his master was allowing her to go outside? She sat in the bed, making sure her body was covered by her bed sheet.

"Who is there?" she called, surprised but not truly afraid. No one had ever hurt her or been mean to her since her arrival. The orcs serving her, the Mouth, all of them were very respectful. Disgusting, stinking, but yet respectful.

But it was fear that she felt when she saw a dark mist floating on the floor in her general direction. She moved back in her bed, until her back hit the wall. She stayed there, paralyzed with horror, as the mist started floating on her bed.

She heard a voice in her head, a male voice, hissing, whispering a name.

"Daeris..."

The mist started moving in slow circles around her, and then she remembered the words of the Mouth, a year before. _Once he regains_ _a corporeal form..._ She knew what the black mist was, knew who was talking in her mind.

"Yes, it is I," the voice hissed.

She started screaming, afraid beyond words, afraid beyond reason.

"Do not be scared," the voice said, the tone becoming caressing, almost tender. "I will take good care of you."

"No! No! Glorfindel!" she cried, knowing her mate could not help her but calling him nevertheless.

"Forget him!" the voice told her, angered by her call. "You do not belong to him anymore. I will make you forget him, Daeris."

"I am not Daeris!" she insisted, hoping he was looking for the wrong person.

"This is your name now. You are no longer Valerie, Lady of the Golden Flower. You are Lady Daeris. My soon-to-be mate."

And then, to her dismay, the mist started flowing all over her body, her body that had been craving physical contact for a year. A year without a hug, a year without one single touch. Her mind went blank as the mist floated around her, deliciously caressing her skin, giving her physical pleasure.

She woke in the morning, wondering if she had dreamed the whole thing. She was in her bed, the door of her bedroom was closed, and there was no sign of any mist. She shrugged, disturbed by her strange dream. And to think it had started with a dream of Glorfindel...

There was a knock on her door. She got out of bed and went to her closet. She had been provided quite beautiful dresses, and she took the first one in her wardrobe and put it on. Maybe it was the Mouth, giving her news about her request.

It was, and she knew it had been granted when she saw him standing in her boudoir, holding a cloak for her. She could have kissed him. She wondered how she could have gotten used to orcs, to the beasts, to the Nazguls and the Mouth. Her spirit must have been very resilient indeed.

"The Master is pleased with you this morning. He has allowed you to walk in the yard."

Valerie was slightly disappointed, but did not say anything. Taking a stroll in the yard was already a victory. Maybe one day, she would be allowed to go outside of Minas Morgul and feel the grass on her naked feet. That would be... wonderful.

She took the cloak from his hands and followed him down the stairs, hardly believing she would finally breathe fresh air. As it turned out, the fresh air smelled nasty, but she concentrated on the sight of the sun, smiling towards the sky and lifting her arms as if wanting the sun rays to warm her skin.

"This is brilliant!" she cried, spinning around like a young child. She laughed and laughed, so glad to finally be outside.

The Mouth was watching her impassively.

After a while, she stopped acting like an elfling and started walking in the yard. She thought of her family, the improvement in her conditions making her believe she may see them one day after all. She thought of Glorfindel, her love, of Phoebe and her twin brother Adam, who was hopefully in the Halls of Mandos rather than in the place where mortal souls were going after their death. Nimrodel, Mithrellas, her two reborn daughters, such wonderful ellith, so loved by their people. Oropher, the reborn king of Greenwood, father of... what was his name again? Phoebe's mate? Thinking she had a temporary blank, she went back to her own children. Turgon, reborn king of Gondolin. And then... she had two more sons. She knew that. Two. What were their names? One of them had white hair. She could not even remember what the last one looked like.

She must have been so tired... How could she forget the names and looks of her own sons?

Disturbed, she walked to the Mouth. "Do you think I could have parchment, a quill and some ink?"

"My Lady is planning to start corresponding with her friends?" he asked sarcastically.

"No... I just need to write something down. I am tired of reading. Please."

He pondered her request for a minute. "I see no harm in this. An orc will bring you what you want later today."

"Thank you!"

"Are you done for today?"

"Today? Will I be allowed to walk in the yard another day?"

"Every day if it is your wish," he informed her.

She did not know what she had done to please the Mouth's master, but she would not complain.

When an orc brought her the supplies she had asked for, she immediately took them to her table and started listing the names of her family. She still could not remember the names of her two youngest sons.

OoOoO

 _Minas Morgul, Year 3016 of the Third Age_

 _4 years after the last events_

Valerie led her horse through the doorway, followed by two Nazguls on their disgusting horses. Without their presence, she was not allowed to go outside of the fortress. The area around Mordor was now full of orcs and goblins and other strange beasts she did not want to know the name of. She had requested that the Nazguls refrain from using their scorching screams when she was with them, and the Master had made sure that her desires were like commands to them.

The Eye was more watchful than ever, and she knew Sauron was getting closer and closer to attain his goal. She was not being kept informed of the events in Middle Earth, but she could see the orcs were in high spirits. That did not bode well for Middle Earth.

Not that she could remember anyone in Middle Earth. Sauron, in the shape of a black mist, had visited her many times over the years, and each time, she had been losing a bit more of her memories. The parchment on which she had written all the names of the people she could remember had been discovered and destroyed before her eyes, and the Mouth had been severely punished for his ill initiative. She had not seen him for two years. Strangely, she had missed his presence.

When he had been allowed to see her again two years later, he had declared her changed for the better. Puzzled, she had asked in what sense, and he had gestured to her face. Valerie had not seen herself in a mirror for many years when the Mouth had brought her a mirror, with the Master's permission, of course.

She had stared at herself, her mouth open in a long, silent scream. Her face was the same, although her skin tone was much paler than before. No, the difference was all in her eyes. They were still green, although she realized later the green was glowing an unnatural color, exactly like Minas Morgul. What had caught her attention and caused her immense distress were her pupils, or rather, the shape of her pupils. There was no denying they were no longer round. They had taken a slight oval shape, not very far from a feline's.

That day, whatever memories she still had, and there had been very few, had been locked away, sealed deep into her fëa. She no longer remembered she had a family, that she had lived in Imladris, that she had a mate. She was just a prisoner, destined to be mated with the Eye once he gained his body back.

She no longer cared enough about herself to look forward or dread that day. She no longer cared about the orcs, crowded in Mordor. She cared not that she could no longer see the sun, because Mordor was covered by dark clouds. She went riding in the woods of Ithilien when she felt oppressed, and it was her only distraction. Today was her first ride in more than a month. She was even losing interest for that.

"Lady Daeris, did you have a nice ride?" the Mouth asked her later that day. She had gotten used to her new name. It meant Queen of the Shadows, a very fitting name for what was planned for her. She could not recall what her name had been before.

She shrugged and omitted to answer.

"The Master is worried about you."

"How kind of him."

"He will not be pleased to know that you do not appreciate his generosity."

"I apologize. I am so tired. Please tell the Master I appreciate the freedom he gives me. However, I am weary of staying here, doing nothing but waiting."

"The Master has plans for you. Once he regains his body, he will rule over Middle Earth and you will be his queen. You will give him heirs, many heirs, and continue his bloodline."

It was the first time that the Mouth was describing what her future would truly be. The laying hen of Sauron. She had known this, of course. Sauron had been talking to her for many years now. She was not fooling herself that he loved her or would eventually love her. He was incapable of that. And so was she. Her heart had been like a desert for years now. Even the thought of having children was not appealing. She believed she may have had children before, but she was not sure. To have children, she would have needed a husband, and she obviously had none, if she was here, promised to Sauron.

It was confusing, and she hated thinking about these things. It gave her migraines.

"I will serve our Lord and Master in any way he wants," she replied, knowing it was the answer the Mouth was expecting.

"Will you be riding tomorrow, Lady Daeris?"

"I do not think so. I need to sleep."

And sleep, she did more and more. In the following months, she spent more time just lying in her bed staring at the ceiling, than up and active. That is, until she heard an unusual commotion in the yard one day.

She stood from her bed and watched by the window as a creature was being pushed and shoved in the direction of the doors leading to the plains of Mordor. It was skinny, walking bent in two as if its back had been broken. She had never seen such a creature. Was this a new kind of orc? Certainly not, the creature kept complaining and whining in the most unpleasant manner.

When she saw the Mouth a few days later, she inquired about the unusual creature.

"It is not a new race," he informed her. "It is a Hobbit that turned into this thing."

"I heard screams coming from Barad-dur," she said. "Has the creature been tortured? It did not look like it was made of stern stuff when I saw it."

"I am sorry to say that you are wrong, Lady Daeris. It took us more time than expected, but we now know the information we were looking for."

He seemed pleased with that. He looked at her expectantly.

"I am glad if the Master is pleased," she said, giving him the lip service he was expecting.

"I am here to inform you that the Nazguls will be leaving Minas Morgul soon."

"I will no longer be allowed to ride in Ithilien?" she guessed, a little disappointed.

"You can, if you still wish it. I will be with you during your rides from now on. I am glad for the honor, and promise I will keep you safe."

Keep her safe? Quite literally, everyone but the Nazguls and the Mouth were terrified of even pissing her off. They all knew she was favored by the Master, and were scared that she could ask for their heads. Which she had done in the past, when an orc was getting on her nerves. The orc leader that had brought her to Minas Morgul had been her first victim. She could not imagine that anyone would dare even lift a finger to hurt her.

"I need to go to Isengard for a few days, but as soon as I am back, your rides in Ithilien can resume."

Valerie was not surprised that Sauron was making allies around Mordor. If she remembered correctly, there was a wizard in Isengard. Was it the white one or the gray one? The fog in her mind did not allow her to remember that.

* * *

A/N: After years in Mordor, in contact with all this darkness, Valerie lost her memories and started changing. Will someone rescue her before it is too late? Or will she escape one day? It will be revealed in the next chapter.

Starla: glad to hear that you loves the series so much. Which one do you prefer so far?

Foofie01: Unfortunately, she didn't get to kick some orc ass… But at least, she got her vengeance on the orc who abducted her, although it was only much later…

Maggie: this was the darkest chapter in this story, at least, you shouldn't dread the next chapter! Things will improve for her.

Princessnera: you will see how Glorfindel is after all these years without Valerie in the next chapter. Things are not completely desperate, but he surely needs her back soon!

Glassary: the last chapter was from Valerie's point of view – you will see how her children reacted in the next chapter – and how they have not lost hope to find her alive.

Paperlanterns86: Her torments are not physical, but mostly psychological, at least in the beginning. She is now so confused and changed, without memories of her past. We could probably debate if her years in Mordor are better or worse than what happened to Celebrian…

Shetan20: history is not repeating itself – longer disappearance, physical and mental changes for Valerie… Once she is back, her recovery will be very different than Celebrian's.


	25. Chapter 25 - The Rider of Ithilien

_Chapter 24 ended with:_

 _Valerie was not surprised that Sauron was making allies around Mordor. If she remembered correctly, there was a wizard in Isengard. Was it the white one or the gray one? The fog in her mind did not allow her to remember that._

 **Chapter 25 – The Rider of Ithilien**

 _Imladris, Year 3018 of the Third Age_

 _2 years later_

Phoebe and Legolas passed the gates of Imladris, surrounded by many Greenwood warriors. They had ridden almost without stop since they had left, in a hurry to share the disturbing news. Shame had been brought upon Greenwood, but hope also.

As they directed their horses to the stables, they were surprised to see that people from many races were walking in the direction of the area where Elrond liked to hold his councils. They dismounted quickly and gave their horses to the stable master. Erestor arrived in the meantime, welcoming them with the respect due to their royal station. If he was surprised to see them, he did not show it.

"Your Highness, welcome to Imladris," he said, bowing deeply in front of the queen of Greenwood.

"What is happening, Erestor? Why are all these people here?"

"Lord Elrond is organizing a council to discuss... a very important matter."

Phoebe stared at him, expecting the ellon to tell them what that matter was exactly.

"You are more than welcome to join us," he invited them instead. "I am certain that Lord Elrond will be pleased to see you. So will your adar," he added.

"Whatever it is Lord Elrond wants to discuss with all these people, we have something much more important to tell him." Legolas nodded to support her words.

"I doubt it," Erestor said gravely. "Please join us, and we can talk about your news after the council."

Phoebe sighed with an impatience and a hauteur that the scholar had only seen in Thranduil, but they followed him without protesting any further. The council had not started when they reached the group.

"Lady Phoebe, Lord Legolas, welcome to Imladris!" Elrond said while the others were watching them warily, especially the dwarves.

Phoebe nodded to the lord but went directly to her adar, who stood to welcome her with open arms.

"Such an unexpected pleasure," he whispered in her ear. He had changed since her mother's disappearance. He had lost some weight, lost the light there used to be in his eyes. Although he was still accomplishing his duties, his heart was no longer into it.

"Ada," she murmured, "we need to talk. Leave this council, come with me. Please! It is important!"

"Sweetie," he said, using the term of endearment her mother had used to call all her daughters, "this council is important too. We will finish it and then, we will do a family gathering."

Phoebe knew all her siblings were in Imladris. Oropher had sworn that he would not sail to Valinor to be reunited with his mate before his parents were reunited themselves. Or until... a body was found, but it was something the family refused to discuss. Galadhon and Nimrodel had not returned to Lothlorien since that day either. Even Mithrellas had spent the last years in Imladris to support their adar. Legolas had decided to travel to Imladris with Phoebe to spend some time with his mate.

Eight years had passed since Valerie's disappearance, and Phoebe knew she may have the first encouraging information since that terrible day. Her adar and her brothers had relentlessly searched for Valerie in the mountains for many years, helped by Elladan and Elrohir. Even Estel had participated in the searches with some of his rangers. They would be thrilled to know what she now knew.

"This council is critical," Glorfindel insisted darkly.

Phoebe nodded and sat on the chair that a servant had brought. She nodded to Estel and Mithrandir, and watched with interest the small hobbit who was sitting beside the wizard.

The council started, and Elrond announced that Sauron's Ring had been found and it needed to be destroyed. Legolas stood during the meeting and announced that the creature Gollum, which Estel had put in their care, had escaped, helped by orcs. Estel's disappointment was palpable and so was Legolas' shame. As captain of the Greenwood guard, he was responsible for the mistake if his warriors.

When the hobbit volunteered to bring the Ring to Mordor, Legolas volunteered to help him in his quest.

"What about my mother?" Phoebe asked, grabbing his arm before he could join the people gathering around the hobbit.

"Your brothers will be there," he reminded her. "The best way to help her is to make sure Sauron is defeated. Furthermore, I am remedying for Greenwood's mistake by the same token. You know how my adar is ashamed of that second escape in our history."

Phoebe could only agree that Legolas was right on both counts. And if the information she had received was right, the defeat of Sauron was key in getting her mother back with them.

The council ended with the group of nine companions agreeing to meet later to decide on a course for their future quest.

Once the hobbits, dwarves and men had left the council, Erestor went back to the manor to get Glorfindel's family. Phoebe asked Estel to stay with them, since he had always been considered a sibling by them all. Mithrandir requested to be invited as well, which Phoebe agreed to. After all, Mithrandir had always liked her naneth very much.

When Valerie's children arrived, with Allison, Elrohir and Elladan in tow, they all greeted Phoebe and Legolas with surprise but pleasure. Mithrellas ran into Legolas' arms, crying that she had known he was close to her. Phoebe wondered how Legolas would tell his mate that he had just volunteered to go on a quest that may claim his life. She knew she would hit Thranduil if he ever did something like that. However, she knew her mate would never throw himself into a desperate quest like his son had just done.

All could see that she had something important to share, that for once, there was hope in her eyes. She could feel their nervousness. They all sat around her while she stood in the middle, watching them warily. Valar, how she hoped she was right.

"The creature Gollum," she started, "was held captive in our dungeons for months. Mithrandir had caught him roaming in the woods and given him to Estel to bring to Greenwood for safekeeping." Everyone nodded. So far, they were not hearing anything new. "Months and months of lamenting, of this creature talking to himself, complaining about his detention conditions being the worst since... Barad-dur."

Everyone looked at each other. It seemed only Mithrandir and Estel had known that, and they had omitted to tell the others.

"Is this how the Nazguls know about Bilbo? About the Shire?" Elrond asked, displeased.

"Yes," Mithrandir admitted.

"Why did you not tell us? Why did you withhold that information?" the lord continued his interrogation.

"I told Frodo," the wizard feebly said.

Legolas snorted. "There was something else Mithrandir knew. Something he did not want us to know," he speculated.

"He probably hoped we would not listen to Gollum's babbling, or that we would not connect the dots," Phoebe continued. "All I hope is that Estel was not part of this."

"Part of what?" the ranger asked.

"When Gollum was brought to Barad-dur, he heard the orcs talking about Sauron's lady. A Lady Daeris, Queen of the Shadows. A she-elf of great beauty, with hair red as fire when a sun ray was passing through the dark clouds above Mordor."

Glorfindel stood.

"As far as I know, there are only two she-elves with such red hair in Middle Earth," Phoebe shouted, facing the wizard, her anger rising. "Why? Why did you not tell us?"

"Are you sure it is her?" Oropher asked.

"No," Phoebe admitted. "We have not seen her. But I am planning to go see."

"In Mordor?" Nimrodel cried. "No! It is too dangerous!"

"We need to go," Glorfindel stated. "I need to know. If it is her indeed, we must rescue her." There was a light in his eyes, one they had not seen in many years.

"Why were you hiding this information?" Elrond asked the wizard.

"If she had been found before, many of us would have sailed, leaving Middle Earth behind," Nimrodel guessed. It was certain that Oropher would have sailed, and probably herself, since she hoped that her beloved was reborn in Valinor. Turgon and Galadhon were less certain, but may have sailed too, especially if Valerie had been forced to sail after her captivity.

"We needed you here, all of you, for this war that is about to start," the wizard explained, his eyes staring at the ground. "Dol Amroth must support the White City should it be attacked by Mordor, and we need Mithrellas to write to Prince Imrahil to remind him of his commitment. We believe that Greenwood or Lothlorien may be attacked by Dol Guldur, and the presence of Galadhon, Nimrodel and Oropher will revive the ardor of these realms. And if Turgon and Gil-galad demand that all Noldorin warriors fight for the other realms, both elven and human, there will be enough elven warriors on all the battlefields of Middle Earth to help eliminate some of the threats."

"And you thought sacrificing my naneth was an option?" Gil-galad asked. The High King of the Noldor was playing with his sword, and his sister Mithrellas, sitting beside him, put a gentle hand on his.

"We can discuss Mithrandir's behavior later," she said. "We need to look at this information logically. I agree that there are no other red-haired elleth in Middle Earth. Is there any other information?"

"This is all we have," Legolas answered.

"There is more," Estel added. "I had never thought that this information was crucial. But my rangers have reported seeing once a cloaked rider in the woods of Ithilien, near Minas Morgul. A light horseman on a strong stallion, followed by two Nazguls on their own beasts. They were following the rider, allowing him to go wherever he wanted. Guarding him, but deferentially. I had not believed it at the time. And never imagined that this rider could have been a female."

"If it is her, we must take her back." Glorfindel was not going to leave his mate in the hands of Sauron for much longer.

"We have to plan this properly," Lord Elrond said, cooling his ardor. "If indeed this rider is Valerie, then we must remember that she has been captive for 8 years. They call her Sauron's queen. Queen of the Shadows is her name. Why? Did he bind himself to her?"

"Sauron has no corporeal form," Mithrandir reminded them. "He cannot do... certain things yet."

"And we must make sure it does not happen. If he gets his ring back, who knows what he will do to Mother?" Phoebe asked.

"Sauron may not have a human form yet... but he can adopt other shapes," Elrond said delicately. He had seen it, the black mist, decades ago in Dol Guldur. That black mist had been able to kill. Was it able to bind an elleth into a bond of evil?

"Impossible," Glorfindel stated. "I can still feel our bond. For years, I have told you that she was still alive."

"But unresponsive..." Galadhon reminded him.

"Yes," the captain agreed. "I can feel the bond, but it is blocked on her end. She cannot be bound to Sauron. I would have felt our bond breaking. We still have time before it is too late."

"What if she does not want to be saved?" Elladan asked. Everyone looked at him, daggers in their eyes.

"My son brings up a good point," Elrond admitted after a while. "If it is her indeed, she has been seen riding in Ithilien, without trying to escape."

"Followed by Nazguls, this leaves very little chance of escape, do you not think?" Turgon said.

"We have to realize she may be... different." Mithrellas looked at her father. "8 years in Mordor, surrounded by orcs and Nazguls. With the Great Eye so close, so near..."

"I will not abandon her, even if Valerie was turned into a Nazgul!"

"Then we must prepare this expedition," Oropher said. "Who is with me? All my brothers, I hope?"

"You will not leave me out of this," Phoebe warned.

"I wish I had not just accepted to escort Frodo," Estel said.

"Your role will be very important," Elrond reminded him.

"I would like to be there," Allison said. "Maybe she will require medical help."

"I cannot allow you to go," Elrohir decided. "This is too dangerous."

"Phoebe is going!" Allison cried.

"I am a warrior first and foremost!" the queen of Greenwood stated, insulted to the core.

"We cannot send too many people. It needs to remain a covert operation. Success can only be attained with a swift, unexpected operation with very few warriors." Elrond was being realistic. "If medical or magical help is needed, you will have to bring her to Lothlorien. Galadriel will know what to do. Glorfindel, you will lead this expedition. Choose who your companions will be."

"I will bring all my sons," he decided, "I cannot leave one of them behind." Said-sons all nodded in agreement. None of them would have accepted to be left behind. "Phoebe also."

Elrond's sons looked disappointed to be left out, but all of Glorfindel's sons and Phoebe were great warriors. They could be trusted to succeed in this mission.

"Then let us plan. We should leave within the week." Now that he knew that his mate may be captive in Minas Morgul, Glorfindel wanted her back immediately.

OoOoO

 _Woods of Ithilien_

 _Near Minas Morgul_

They had been observing Minas Morgul for at least two weeks, hidden in the woods, waiting for the gates of the fortress to open, letting pass a small rider, usually followed by another massive one. They had seen them every second day. Three times, the small rider had been alone, without any guard. Each time, the rider was taking a different road than when the guard was there. A longer ride, spending more time in the woods, even stopping to touch the trees.

They had yet to see the face or hair of the rider. They still did not know if this was Valerie or not.

Their plan was set. Their group was split in two, with Turgon as a scout near the gates of Minas Morgul. If he saw one rider, he would whistle to the team that was posted on the way of the long ride. If they were two, he would whistle to the other team, posted along the other way. Either way, the rest of the group would reach the other quickly, to get rid of the guard should there be one.

OoOoO

Valerie was now allowed to ride alone. She had no idea what she had done to deserve this. The mist had visited her a few weeks back, and she had felt the satisfaction of the voice in her head. Sauron was pleased, convinced that she was a faithful servant, not that she had any choice. But she had not done or thought anything to raise his suspicions. Her mind was blank, she had accepted that this was her life now. Sauron was about to find his ring, that, he knew. He had promised her that as soon as he got his ring back, he would make her his queen, give her a ring too.

That night, once the mist had left her room after giving her physical pleasure, she had stared at her hands, the memory that she had been wearing a ring in the past clear in her mind. Where was it? She could not remember.

When the Mouth visited her, he asked if she wanted an escort for her ride. She declined and told him she would see him the next day. An orc prepared her horse, a beautiful black stallion that the Master had given her a few years back. It had been stolen from the Horse Lords of Rohan. She looked at the sky, seeing clouds covering the region. It was always cloudy but rarely rained. She hated rain, it was cold, with nothing to warm her up.

She mounted and asked for the gate to be opened. Slowly, with a loud, creaking noise, one gate opened just enough to let her pass. She launched her horse right away, and did not stop when she heard a strange bird around the end of the bridge. She kept going in the direction of the forest, the speed giving her an exhilarating feeling of freedom. She laughed for the first time in a long time, until she saw a movement near her.

She was being followed. She changed her usual course, her heart almost exploding in her chest. This was different than usual. The Mouth and the Nazguls were calmly following her, knowing she would eventually turn back. Whoever was following her wanted to catch her and then what? Memories of having been in a similar situation flooded her mind. She pushed her stallion faster, suddenly scared of what would happen to her this time. Behind her, she could hear three riders. She took a path to her left but saw two more riders blocking her way. _How many people are chasing me?_ she wondered in dismay. _And why?_ She regretted refusing the presence of the Mouth for her ride today. He would have saved her, he was very deadly with a sword. He had killed countless orcs over the years, it was an entertaining sport to him and the Nazguls. She took out her own sword, a blade she had barely used in the past, but maybe the riders would think she was a sword master and leave her alone.

She directed her mount to her right, but a rider was blocking that path too. She backed away against a tree, her horse nervous, and held her blade in front of her. Five riders were facing her, one in front of the others, probably their leader. They were wearing dark cloaks. She had no idea if they were men or elves or anything else. The leader extended a hand in her direction, as if he was inviting her, inviting her to do what?

"What do you want from me?" she asked in the only language she had been using in the past years. The riders cringed violently upon hearing her.

She took advantage of their distress and launched her stallion in another direction. But before she got very far, another attacker she had not seen before jumped from a tree directly on her horse and made them both fall to the ground. Her head hit a rock and all became black.

"Quick, effective technique," Phoebe laughed as she stood up from the ground.

"You knocked her out!" Gil-galad cried in outrage.

"Yes, and in an instant, we will know if she is the one we are looking for," Oropher said, dismounting. They all followed his lead except Glorfindel.

"It was her voice," he mumbled. "Her voice, using the black speech. It hurt my fëa..."

"We will see," Phoebe said, kneeling beside the unconscious body of the rider. She gently turned it around, removed the hood and saw familiar red hair attached in a tight bun. She slowly caressed the cheeks, the straight nose and the high forehead. "It is her! Oh Mother! We have found you at last!" she said, kissing her forehead.

At that moment, Valerie came around and opened her eyes. Phoebe squeaked in surprise and backed a few feet away. Valerie saw her chance and bolted, but she was immediately caught by Turgon, who held her back to him so all could see her.

"Her eyes!" Phoebe cried, "Her eyes have changed!"

"Who are you?" Valerie cried, struggling against Turgon's hold. She had switched to Sindarin, hearing it was the language they were using. The language had come back to her naturally.

"Do you not know who we are?" an ellon asked, removing his hood. One by one, they all removed their hoods to reveal their faces. Some of them were looking at her with horrified eyes. Others seemed to be expecting something from her. Only the one still mounted on his horse had not removed his hood yet.

"She does not remember us!" the female who had hair so similar to hers said. "How did that happen?"

"You should let me go," Valerie recommended. These people could not imagine what they would unleash if they didn't let her go. "You have no idea what you have brought upon yourselves. Within a few hours, these woods will be crowded with orcs, looking for me. The Nazguls will join in the search. The Master will find you and kill you all brutally."

"We serve no master," one of the ellyn said, the one who had white hair.

"But she is right," another added. "We need to leave. She needs to be brought to Lothlorien."

"She will not go without a fight," the one holding her said.

"What are you talking about? Leave me alone!" Valerie cried.

"Bind her arms behind her back," another said, and within moments, her hands were bound quite tightly with hithlain rope.

"What are you doing?" she shouted. "This is folly! You will all be killed cruelly! You will be begging for a merciful death before the end!"

"She will ride with me," the rider said with a hoarse voice. A screaming and trashing Valerie was lifted from the ground and forced to sit in front of him. She immediately felt comfortable around him, while the others had scared her.

"Why are you taking me?"

"You belong with us, Valerie," the rider replied.

"You have the wrong person! My name is not Valerie, it is Daeris! I do not even know you!" she spat. "Where are you taking me?"

"Home."

"Minas Morgul is my home," she stated, quite convincingly. "This is where I belong!"

Glorfindel stared at her eyes for a long time while his children watched them. The fact that she did not recognize them, even him, was quite disturbing. Her pupils were a sure sign that Sauron had started taking possession of her, changing her into a creature of darkness. Was she too far gone? Even if she was, he could not leave her here, in the hands of Sauron. Even if she never remembered him, he would remain with her, take care of her in memory of all they had shared in the past.

The tension was high around him. His children all knew the dilemma he was facing. Would they leave without their poor naneth? He could read in all his children's faces that none of them would accept to leave her behind. They were all realizing and accepting her new situation, and would do what needed to be done in order to get their naneth back.

"No, it is not your home," he replied firmly to Valerie. "We ride for Lothlorien! We will not stop until we get there!"

OoOoO

Valerie had kept sharing the stallion of the ellon called Glorfindel. He was a man of few words, who was always watching her with a strange light in his eyes. All the males with them were beautiful beings to her eyes, especially after spending years with the orchish population of Mordor. But this Glorfindel, he was in a different league. She felt like she was cheating on the Master just by the images this ellon was creating in her mind.

His steed was a beautiful, pure white, strong war horse named Asfaloth. To her surprise, the horse seemed to have taken an immediate liking to her and she enjoyed caressing its strong neck. Realizing that she was not trying to escape, Glorfindel had unbound her hands after a few hours. They had ridden for two days without stop when he decided that they could stop to rest for a few hours in the nearby woods.

Valerie was lying on the ground, enveloped in her cloak, when she started feeling a call. The Master was looking for her. She looked around to see if the others could feel it, but they were in a circle talking without looking at her.

The screeching sounds took them by surprise. Soon, they saw a Nazgul flying high in the sky on his dragon, his screams freezing the blood in their veins. They came closer to Valerie to protect her, hiding under the trees.

"He is looking for me," she murmured. She looked at them and slowly stood. They stared at her, unable believe what she was doing. "He wants me back in Minas Morgul." She slowly walked to the border of the forest.

"She wants to be found and brought back to Sauron!" Oropher whispered, horrified.

"Of course not! Look at her! He is able to call her, she does not even seem aware of her actions!" Phoebe replied.

Glorfindel had followed Valerie and was gently pulling her back under the cover of the trees.

"The Master is angry that I am gone. He wants me back," she explained, her mind clearly in some sort of haze.

"Your family wants you back too," he replied, looking into her eyes. He was getting used to the strange, slightly feline shape of her pupils and the almost phosphorescent green of her eyes.

"My family?" She looked at Glorfindel pensively. "I have... no recollection of having a family. I have been alone for so long, always alone. Except when the Mouth is visiting me. And the Master..."

"The mouth?" Phoebe whispered to Turgon. He shrugged, indicating he had no idea what Valerie was talking about.

"Your family wants you back," Glorfindel insisted to avoid starting a discussion about Sauron, whose servant was flying above their heads. "They never stopped looking for you."

"You are bringing me to them? Is this where we are going?"

"Yes, we are bringing you to a lady who will help you be reunited with your family. Will you follow us, and avoid being found by Sauron's servants instead of looking for them?"

"No."

"I beg you pardon?" he asked. Valerie was clearly no longer confused and had clearly expressed her opinion. Why was she so firm about not being reunited with her family?

"Look at me! I know I have changed, I saw myself once in a mirror. My eyes... I am one of Sauron's servants now, I belong in Mordor. This family you say I have, they probably think I am dead. It is best if I do not come back from the dead and traumatize them with an unwelcome return."

"You are wrong," Glorfindel said forcefully. "Your mate, your children, they want you back. Please accept to come with us."

"If they reject me, what will happen to me? Will I be killed?"

"They will not reject you. I swear it to you."

Valerie observed him warily and shrugged. She went back to lie down in the woods, no longer attempting to be found by the Nazgul. Once he was gone, they mounted back on their steeds and rode again in the direction of Lothlorien.

"Your name is Glorfindel, right?" she asked him one day.

"Yes. Glorfindel, Lord of the Golden Flower."

"The Master hates someone called Glorfindel, like you. This ellon has a bond that he cannot break, despite all his efforts."

This seemed to please Glorfindel very much, although she could not fathom why.

They rode for days, rarely stopping, and Valerie would sometimes fall asleep, leaning against Glorfindel's chest with a familiarity that was completely unusual to her. His body was keeping her warm. He even was putting his own cloak around her when it rained. But his arm was always around her waist. She was now used to the security his arm brought her.

Sometimes, she was not sleeping but simply resting with her eyes closed, and she would listen to the conversations around her.

 _Why is she not recognizing anyone?_

 _Will Lady Galadriel help her recover her memories?_

 _What happened to her eyes? Has she started changing into something else? Is she evil now?_

Glorfindel had answered that last question with an annoyed tone. _She is still an elf. She is still mine._

She had shivered in his arms. Sauron's mist had told her the same. _You are mine,_ his voice had hissed _._ She now was confused. Who did she belong to? Glorfindel? The Master? The mate she could not remember? And why did she need to belong to someone in the first place?

When the attention of the other elves was on some other topic, Glorfindel was whispering many things in her ear. She would close her eyes, letting herself be calmed by his words, words of love that she did not know existed, wondering why this ellon she had never seen before was expressing feelings such as those. What would her unknown mate have to say about the liberties Glorfindel was taking with her?

This day was no different. His warm breath was caressing her ear.

 _I have been looking for you for so long... I will never let you go again...You have been in my thoughts constantly...I could still feel you..._

She felt his lips against her neck, while his arm drew her closer to his chest. She moaned. It had brought a memory of a male in the flesh, caressing her breasts while gently moving between her thighs... Ragged breaths and cries of pleasure...

 _You are responding to me..._ he whispered, his arm moving higher, above her waist, and she wished he would touch her breasts.

 _Are you the mate who has been waiting for me?_ she murmured feverishly. She was pretty sure he could hear the beating of her heart and smell her arousal. There was something about him, the handsomest male she had ever seen, that called to her. And spending days riding on the same horse did not help either of them to control their attraction.

 _I will let you know soon..._

The elves surrounding them had smiled discreetly, recalling how their adar had never been very demonstrative in public. Eight years of separation could change an ellon...

They finally reached the border of Lothlorien, where guards welcomed them as if they had been expecting them. They were watching Valerie warily, their gazes drawn to her eyes. Self-conscious, Valerie hid her face with her hood. The wardens discussed if it was safe to bring her to their city, feeling the darkness she carried within. One of them argued that their lady had asked them to let the guests visit her regardless of what the Imladris people were bringing with them. They were allowed to continue their journey and they arrived in Caras Galadhon by nightfall, where Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were waiting for them.

Valerie heard that one of the elves in her escort was the father of the Lord of Lothlorien. She watched them greet each other with affection. The group congratulated themselves for the success of their mission.

The beautiful lady then turned to her. "I have not seen you in so long, my child," the Lady of Light said, taking Valerie's face between her two gracious hands. She looked at Valerie's eyes, her thumbs slowly caressing her eyelids. "Poor Valerie."

"This is not my name," she repeated again. Would these people stop calling her that unfamiliar name?

"What is your name, then?"

"I am Lady Daeris."

"This is not a name that fits you very well. You are not shadows, but light, fire, energy!"

"Have we met before?"

Celeborn looked at Valerie's children, asking for confirmation that their naneth did not recognize anyone, that she did not even know who she was.

"The mist is still there, in your mind, in your heart..." Galadriel whispered gently. "It obscures your memories, twists your interpretation of reality. Sauron left you in an emotional desert, starving you from any meaningful contact, until you thought his attentions were signs of love and care..."

Valerie just stared, mesmerized by what the lady was telling her.

"You are tired, and need to rest. A servant will bring you to a guest talan."

Valerie looked around, searching in the now familiar faces confirmation that it was safe to follow the servant.

"I will be there with you shortly. You know you can trust me," Glorfindel told her.

He watched her follow the servant suspiciously, watching around her for danger, ready to bolt at any sign of threat. As soon as she was out of sight, they circled around Lady Galadriel.

"Sauron is still there, in her. I will need to draw him out. It may be... difficult."

"Will she eventually remember?"

"I hope so, although I cannot guarantee it. You may have to make her fall in love with you all over again," she gently told Glorfindel. "But even if that were the case, you are troubling her greatly already."

"Our bond is still there."

"It will make my work easier. Bring her to me tomorrow."

"What about her eyes?"

"Hopefully, something can be done about that too. If Mithrandir had been around, he may have been a great help. The fellowship left Imladris a few weeks ago. I have not seen where they are at the moment in my mirror."

"Let us pray the Valar that they are successful. Sauron needs to be destroyed. Or he will be looking for Valerie until he gets her back..."

When Glorfindel entered the bedroom where Valerie was already sleeping, exhausted, he hesitated between sleeping on a chair or in her bed. They had been together for weeks, but never truly alone, and never alone in a bed. He was worried about Valerie, about the fact that the darkness was still in her mind. He was also worried about his own self-control. She was there, finally there, back with him. Could he resist his impulses?

He opted for lying in the bed, with a good distance between them. She was sleeping on her side, her back turned to him. He listened to her breathing and watched her chest move a little with each breath she was taking. He gently pulled away the silky sheet that was covering her body. Her back was still the same, her waist, her firm bottom, he remembered her body all too clearly. He touched her waist with his fingertips, following the curves of her hip, her waist, stopped before the swell of her breast.

He brought his hand back closer to his body and closed his eyes. He slept, slept like he had not slept in 8 years.

OoOoO

Galadriel was weaker than she had been in decades. She could barely stand, feeling that her knees were about to give out. She remembered feeling like this after she had exiled Sauron in Mordor. Elrond had been there to take care of her, to bring her to safety until she was strong enough to go back to Lothlorien. But today, she was home and Celeborn was waiting for her outside of the talan. He would take care of her... once she was done with her task.

With her hands on Valerie's temple, she continued the litany of spells that were supposed to extract from Valerie's mind and body any darkness that Sauron had purposely planted there. But whatever evil he had left in the poor elleth, it did not want to come out.

It looked agonizingly painful. Valerie was pleading with her to stop in both Sindarin and the black speech, but Galadriel could not listen to her heart and leave the elleth alone. Valerie deserved to live a peaceful life with Glorfindel and her children. It was for them that she was doing this too.

Just when she was about to abandon, Valerie started to choke, eventually vomiting some black substance on the floor. She fell on the floor, unconscious, white as snow, looking like life had left her body.

Galadriel fell to her knees, calling her mate weakly.

Celeborn and Glorfindel had heard Valerie's screams of pain and her pleas in the black speech. All the elves near the talan had closed their eyes, trying to block their hearing, but not quite able to do so. It had looked like an epic battle, and the sudden silence worried them more than the earlier shouting. When Galadriel called her mate, they opened the door, only to find Valerie lying on the floor, unconscious, and Galadriel on her hands and knees beside a pool of a black substance.

Celeborn walked to his mate while Glorfindel knelt beside Valerie, trying to see if she was still alive.

"She is alive," Galadriel mumbled. "Celeborn, you must destroy this," she added, pointing the black liquid. Strangely, the substance was slowly traveling back in the direction of Valerie's body. Glorfindel pulled her away while Celeborn quickly took a candle on a table and put the liquid on fire. It burned quickly with a foul smell and black smoke, and soon, it was completely gone. The damage on the floor of the talan was substantial.

"Is the darkness gone from her?" Celeborn asked.

"I am afraid not, not completely."

"It did not work?" Glorfindel cried, watching his mate with worry. So much pain for nothing?

"I did not say that! I said the darkness is not gone completely. He wants her... he truly wants her terribly, and will not let her go without a fight."

"So this is hopeless?"

"I do not think so. I was able to lift most of the darkness. She may have regained some of her memories. I can try again, later, much later, but until Sauron is destroyed... he will be there, lingering in her fëa."

"Our mates need to rest," Celeborn told Glorfindel.

"Glorfindel?" Galadriel called before the captain could take his wife to their talan. "You must not... have another child with her unless Sauron is destroyed. He could... take the child for his own. Use his body."

The lord of the Golden Flower nodded in understanding.

OoOoO

Valerie woke with a start. Where was she? She looked around and recognized her talan in Lothlorien. The last memory she had was of herself with Lady Galadriel. The lady had put her hands on her head and then... pain. Anger as something was being pulled out of her. Darkness. And then, she had woken here.

She heard a movement in the room and turned around in the bed. It was Glorfindel, sitting on the floor in a corner of the room.

Memories invaded her mind. Her abduction. Her captivity. The orcs, the Nazguls, the Mouth. Her eyes, like an animal's... The Eye, Sauron's Eye above Barad-dur, watching her, wanting her. The black mist, the form Sauron had used to visit her... coming in her bed at night...

Glorfindel had saved her from that horrible destiny. He had come all the way from Imladris to catch her near Minas Morgul. Did he know how low she had fallen? She was vile. Loathsome. Revolting. She could not stay with elves, they were such pure beings. She deserved to die, like a filthy orc. Like Sauron.

She had to go. She jumped out of the bed and bolted out of the talan. She ran on the suspended bridges and down the stairs surrounding a huge trunk, trying to escape before she contaminated an elf with her vileness. She reached the ground and started running in the woods, going nowhere in particular, not even following a path. She tripped over a root and violently fell on her knees, almost knocking her head on a nearby tree.

She leaned her head on the tree and started to weep, her nails gripping the trunk painfully.

"No! No! No!" she cried, hitting her forehead on the tree. She felt warm liquid flow in front of her eyes. Somehow, she felt she deserved that pain. In fact, she deserved so much more pain than this. "Why?" she asked no one in particular. "Why did this have to happen to me?"

Standing in the trees above her, hidden by the leaves, her mate and her children were watching the heartbreaking scene. Glorfindel was perched higher than his children, and they could not see his expression. However, they knew he was greatly distressed. _But how could they have expected anything different?_ some of them wondered. _How could they have thought she would be her usual self, as if nothing had happened?_ _She had spent 8 years in captivity in Mordor!_

Gil-galad looked at Phoebe, pointing their naneth. _Why me?_ she mouthed silently. Her brothers all nodded, as if Gil-galad's idea was brilliant.

Phoebe looked at her mother, still crying on the ground and hitting her head on that tree. What was she supposed to tell her? She slowly climbed down and walked silently to her mother. She did not even know if Valerie would recognize her, to what extent she had recovered her memories.

"Mom?" she whispered carefully, like she would have approached a wild animal.

Valerie stopped crying immediately and hid her face behind her hands. "Go away!"

Phoebe did not obey. She walked closer and sat nearby. "Do you know who I am?"

Valerie did not answer, but Phoebe took this as a yes. If she truly had had no idea who she was, her mother would have said so.

"I am so glad we found you," Phoebe said, finally letting her emotions surface. "I was so scared for you. What happened to you was..." Valerie murmured something that she did not quite hear. "I beg your pardon?"

"I am a monster!" Valerie yelled, and pushing Phoebe violently on her back, she jumped above her daughter and tried to run away. Phoebe fell but recovered so quickly that she had time to grab Valerie's ankle and pull her down. She then maintained her against the ground, sitting on her back.

"What happened to you was not your fault!" she insisted. "You were a victim of Sauron!"

"You have no idea what he did to me! What I let him do to me!"

"He could have turned you into an orc, and I still would be here, reasoning with you. You are my mother. I love you. All your children love you. And Glorfindel... he would have followed you into Mount Doom."

"I deserve to die. Why are you not killing me? Kill me!"

"You are wrong! You deserve to live. No one hates you. No one is disgusted by you. You are a victim of Sauron. We will keep loving you, whatever you do. Let us help you."

"If you love me, then let me go."

"Never."

"You are a stupid, stupid elleth! What is it that you do not understand?" Valerie asked, turning her head to glare at Phoebe, who only smiled.

"Your eyes!" she cried cheerfully. "They are back to normal! See? You will mend," she insisted. "Oh, I am so glad! Some of my brothers were so disturbed by your eyes! Especially Turgon and Gil-galad."

"Who?"

"Turgon and Gil-galad?" This time, it was Phoebe who was uncertain. Did her mother recover all her memories or not?

"Where is Adam?"

"Mommy, do you not remember? Adam is gone. He left us... 84 years ago." She let go of her hold, seeing Valerie was no longer struggling. In fact, she looked like she had been hit by the news of Adam's passing.

"I had hoped... my memories are very confused."

"I imagine. We will help you sort them out."

"You should let me leave."

"You are so stubborn! Stop saying that! We will not let you go. We are your family. Everywhere you will turn, we will be there, until you are completely recovered. You will not get rid of us. You may as well accept that."

"Glorfindel... I can no longer be his mate. I betrayed him."

"You let him be the judge of that. Now come, come with me. You need to rest."

Phoebe helped her mother to stand from the ground, guided her back to her talan and put her to bed with a strong sleeping draught. When she came out of the talan, all her brothers were there, with her father, all of them frowning with worry.

"Adar... she hates herself... She is disgusted by what happened to her! She blames herself, as if what happened to her was her fault!"

"She probably believes she could have fought more strongly against the darkness. But we know she could not have won against Sauron. What was done to her can be undone, but it will take a lot of patience. A lot of love," he replied, speaking to them all. "For decades, she was the sun in my darkness. The pillar of our family. I can return the favor. So can you."

They all nodded in agreement, yet many were wondering how long it would take...

* * *

A/N: the recovery can start, but it will not be easy… These 8 years have caused a tremendous amount of damage to Valerie.

Glassary: they searched for years in the mountains, they never thought she would actually be in Mordor. No one truly imagined that Sauron was looking for a mate once he got his body back…

princessnera: as you saw, it took 8 years. The times ahead of them will not be easy.

Starla: you will see the events from the Return of the King, she has been captive that long! Thank you for recommending my stories to your friends!

Maggie: I admit I wrote a few chapters of a potential Thranduil version, just to see if I get inspired. It may end up being more like ficlets of what would their lives would have been if the difficult Thranduil had been the one…

fihunt: Glorfindel could still feel their bond, he didn't fade but was far from healthy by the time they found Valerie. He will attempt strengthen their bond, but that will be more difficult than he thinks.

Alygator xandra: this was by far the most twisted plot of this story. The rest will not be as shocking, I promise!

PurpleXorchid: you can relax, she has been found, although the road ahead is not looking too pleasant at the moment. Too many years with orcs, the Nazguls, the Mouth and Sauron himself…

paperlanterns86: they probably rescued her right before it was too late. Galadriel barely could remove some of Sauron's presence in Valerie. A little longer and she would have been too far gone and could have been seen in Mordor by the fellowship as she fought with Sauron's forces! No one would have been too pleased with that and Valerie's life could have been in danger!


	26. Chapter 26 - Victories

_Chapter 25 ended with:_

 _"She probably believes she could have fought more strongly against the darkness. But we know she could not have won against Sauron. What was done to her can be undone, but it will take a lot of patience. A lot of love," he replied, speaking to them all. "For decades, she was the sun in my darkness. The pillar of our family. I can return the favor. So can you."_

 _They all nodded in agreement, yet many were wondering how long it would take..._

 **Chapter 26 - Victories**

"My Lord, your mate has taken three baths today. She keeps asking for water and soap, each time requesting the water to be hotter. She will burn her skin if I bring water any hotter than this!"

The servant was truly distressed by Valerie's behavior and demands. Glorfindel had heard that some mortal women were washing themselves frantically after a sexual assault. What had happened to Valerie for her try to clean herself so much? Since her conversation with Phoebe, she had spent many days in her talan, refusing to see anyone else but the servant and her daughter. And she bathed, over and over again.

"Let me speak to her," Glorfindel decided. The servant sighed in relief and led him to the talan. He stood in front of the door for a few minutes, trying to hear any noise indicating what Valerie was doing inside. It was completely silent. Maybe she was asleep? He gently opened the door of the talan. "Valerie?" he called, informing her of his presence.

"Go away!" she cried from the bedroom, definitely not asleep.

"Are you decent?" he asked respectfully, knowing she was trying to keep him away as if he was a stranger instead of her mate.

"No! No! I am not!" He heard the soft noise of fabric on her skin. She was putting a robe on. "Do not come in!"

He knew she was simply hiding from him and the rest of their family. He had enough of this. He opened the door of her bedroom and saw her bolt to the corner of the room. She looked like a wild animal cornered by a hunter without a hope of escaping. He closed the door behind him and sat on the floor in the opposite corner. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

He could hear her ragged breathing, but it started slowing down when she realized he was not planning to come anywhere near her. She slowly sat down on the floor, and waited in silence. He knew she was watching him, reacquainting herself with his appearance, his essence, with the feel of his presence around her. They remained silent for almost an hour before she eventually broke the silence.

"You look tired. Are you still having nightmares?" she asked, worried.

He resisted to smile in triumph. She still cared for him. Even if she felt she was undeserving of him, that she was now a dark being, she still cared and wanted him to be well. He simply nodded to answer her question.

"Are you sleeping?"

"Sometimes. Rarely."

"The sleeping draughts they have here are very potent. You should try some."

"You know that only one thing helps. I haven't had it in 8 years."

"The bed is big enough for two..." she replied, looking out the window. "That is, if you can stand it."

"Stop it!" he cried, making her start. When she looked at him, frightened, he glared at her. "Stop demeaning yourself. You are my mate. I promised to love you until the end of times. I am planning to keep that promise!"

"You have no idea what I did! You would spit on me if you knew!"

"Then tell me. Tell me what you did that is so terrible that I would want to spit on you!"

And she did. She described what had happened to her in the past 8 years, omitting no detail. She even told him about Sauron, in the form of a mist, visiting her once in a while, and the pleasure it had given her. She was talking with a victorious sparkle in her eyes, certain that he would reject her after hearing this. When she stopped, she looked at him expectantly.

He had managed to keep his expression neutral the whole time. A briefing from Lady Galadriel had prepared him, after she had read some of this in Valerie's mind.

"What happened to you is horrible," he replied carefully. "I know not how you will forgive me for not protecting you as I should have. Your safety was my responsibility, and I failed miserably. Because of me, your suffering was great and your pain is still present, even after we took you from Sauron. Will you ever forgive me? I have very little hope."

"Did you even listen to what I said?"

"Yes, I did. I have perfect elven hearing."

"I do not think so. You should send me away. Or you should leave, whichever is easier for you."

"I will never do that. Actually, I believe I will accept your invitation and sleep here tonight rather than at the door of your talan. The flet is not comfortable."

"You are insane," she said, quite speechless. She stared at him with disbelief and he held her gaze, daring her to share his bed while he rested. She stood and went to lie on the very edge of her bed, her back to him, clearly expressing that she did not want him to touch her.

He sighed and went to lie on the other side of the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her recovery would not be easy. But he would be patient. He closed his eyes...

...and jerked out of sleep hours later, his mind full of images of the Balrog, of burnt flesh, of pain, excruciating pain.

She had turned to face him and was watching him with weary eyes. "It is only a nightmare," she murmured. "It is not real. Look at your hands," she insisted. He observed the perfect skin of his hands, moving the fingers tentatively. He put his hands back down, but left one close to her, palm up, hoping she would put her hand in his.

She did not.

Later that day, the melodious voices of a choir were heard, and she turned to him questioningly. She had spent hours lost in her thoughts, not even looking at him while he sat in his corner of the room.

"What is that?" she asked.

"A song?" he said, wondering if she truly had no recollection of music.

She turned her head to the window, as if she wanted to get closer to the voices. "I have not heard someone sing in so long... The voices... they are beautiful. So peaceful."

"Do you want to go sit on the bench outside? You would be closer to the voices." She shook her head.

"No one would see you," he added, knowing she was so ashamed that she did not want people to see her. It was particularly difficult for their children, who were spending their days around the talan in the hope of seeing their naneth.

"Are you sure?"

He stood and extended his hand. She did not take it, but she followed him outside. He noticed, and she did not, that their children had moved in the trees around to be able to observe them without being seen by her. She followed him to the bench and sat as far away from him as possible. She closed her eyes and listened to the songs. He was wondering what she was thinking about when he saw the tears rolling on her cheeks.

"Glorfindel... how many children do we have?"

"We had eight children, seven are still alive. Three daughters and four sons. And there was a mortal child, which you always considered as your own. A Dunedain."

"Why do I feel like some of them are my children, while they are not at the same time?"

The reborn elflings concept would spook her out, he knew that much. A little lie by omission would not hurt anyone. "They are your children," he said forcefully. "You carried them, gave birth to them, raised them, loved them. They are yours."

"I can pictures some of them in my mind, but I get all their names mixed up. The last one I remember seeing before… in the mountains... he was a white-haired ellon, calling my name as I was being taken away by an orc."

"That was Gil-galad." Glorfindel stopped when he saw three of their sons standing nearby. Valerie followed his stare and recoiled closer to him, frightened by the sudden appearance of the three warriors beside the bench. Shocked by her reaction, the three ellyn went down on their knees in front of her, in a non-threatening and pleading pose.

"Naneth," one of them said, "forgive us for failing you that day. Our guard was down, we were not expecting that orcs would dare attack our escort. And then, we did not think they would be cunning enough to take you away."

"We kept searching the mountains while we should have realized that they had taken you south. We could have caught up with them... and none of this would have happened."

"It is not your fault," she said, "it is Sauron's fault."

"Many things are Sauron's fault, and Sauron's only," Glorfindel whispered for her ears only. She looked at him, but soon turned back to the three ellyn who were still on their knees in front of her. Her sons. She knew they were. She slowly stood and knelt in front of the one to her right.

It was the white-haired one, the one Glorfindel had said was called Gil-galad. She touched his face with a cautious hand, getting familiar again with his features. Memories of him as a child flooded her mind, and a name came to her from deep into her memories. "Ereinion," she said, calling him by his birth name rather than the nickname he had received as king.

"Naneth," he replied, leaning his head in her palm.

She turned to the next ellon and brushed his cheek while her other hand was still touching Gil-galad's face.

This one looked like a vague memory of an ellon always standing beside her daughter Phoebe, with his crown full of flowers and berries. He also looked like another ellon who was bound to one of her daughters, what was her name? Mithrellas, yes, sweet-tempered Mithrellas, all blondness and gentleness. The ellon in front of her looked like these two ellyn who had married her daughters.

"Oropher," she said, and he very gently pulled her into a hug. "Forgive me, Naneth, forgive me," he pleaded against her neck.

She caressed his hair for a while, unable to speak. But there was a third ellon, still waiting for her attention. His name came up to her lips in a rush. "Turgon!"

The ellon came closer and hugged her back while she was still leaning against Oropher, in a tight three-way hug that lasted a long time.

Galadhon and Phoebe could be seen in a tree but stayed away, Glorfindel having made a gesture asking them to stay put, to ensure Valerie would not react badly to being surrounded by more people. She was now crying, being supported by Oropher and Turgon, but she extended her hand to touch Gil-galad too.

What was she thinking? Was she crying in happiness or sadness? Glorfindel could no longer tell. His mate was changed, going from an impulsive, energetic spitfire to a taciturn, tormented elleth. He had to get to know her all over again, unless this was only a temporary phase. He cared not. She was his love, his fëa-mate, whether she remained like this or not, he would adapt.

"Where is Galadhon? I believe it was him, in Ithilien, and I have not seen him yet here." Valerie was looking at Glorfindel with a questioning look, wondering if she had properly identified the ellon she had seen when they had rescued her. Celeborn's adar jumped down the branch he had been sitting on, and joined them on the flet.

"It was me, Naneth." He just stood there, uncomfortable. Galadhon had been in Lothlorien with Nimrodel when their mother had been abducted. Although he was not feeling as guilty as his three brothers, he had always wondered what would have happened if he had been with them on this horrible day. Would he have been able to make a difference and save her? They would never know.

Valerie moved away from her other three sons and stood to face him. She opened her arms and Galadhon embraced her with relief.

Phoebe silently moved in the trees and soon stood beside her adar.

"Should we ask Nimrodel and Mithrellas to come here to be reunited with her?" she whispered to him.

"The roads have become too dangerous. We will not risk their safety. Furthermore, Lady Galadriel told me that before leaving Imladris, Legolas had sent Mithrellas back to Greenwood. He thought she would be safer in the fortress, under your mate's protection. Nimrodel is still in Imladris."

"Celeborn says there is a lot of activity in Dol Guldur. A Nazgul is there. They will certainly attack Lothlorien and Greenwood soon. I have to go back to Greenwood to protect my people. They need their queen. I can no longer extend my visit. You think you can handle Mother without me?"

Glorfindel glared and Phoebe just grinned sarcastically. "Make love to her," she whispered. "It used to fix all your quarrels."

"This is more than a mere quarrel."

"Ada, listen to me. You feel guilty, she feels guilty, this is the best guilt party I have ever attended. It feels exactly as when Thranduil had kept me locked in my apartment for weeks after I had inadvertently helped the dwarves escape from our dungeons and that I had run away from Greenwood. But in the end, all you truly need to do is show her that you are not disgusted by what happened to her."

"She will not even let me touch her!"

"And you will let that stop you? Touch her!" she whispered-cried with impatience. "Valar, do I have to tell you everything?! Do you need an instruction manual?"

"It is time that you return to your mate. You need to be with him and stop talking about these things with your adar. This is disturbing."

"I will not leave until the deed is done. So get her in bed and _fuck her already_!"

She had jumped off the flet before he could hit her. Phoebe was getting worse with each passing year. He wondered if Thranduil liked her dirty mouth. He probably did, the bugger. His only comfort was that his daughter acted as a queen should when she was in public. Only her close family knew of her lack of brain to mouth filter.

In the course of the following days, their children were finally allowed in the talan, but they were doing all the talking. Valerie simply explained that she had lost the habit of conversing during her captivity. Remembering the name, Phoebe asked who the Mouth was and Valerie laconically answered that he had been her black speech teacher and Sauron's messenger. They did not insist. What could she tell them about him that would not horrify them? That despite everything, this gruesome being had almost been a friend to her?

Between her and her family, there was an immense abyss that no one quite knew how to bridge.

OoOoO

 _Lothlorien_

 _February 3019 of the Third Age_

"She does not look as well as she used to when we first arrived," Legolas remarked.

The fellowship had arrived in Lothlorien a few weeks before, Mithrandir no longer with them, lost in the darkness of Moria. The hobbits, men and dwarf had rested for a few weeks and still had to decide what their next move would be, now that they had lost their leader. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel had told them that they could no longer tolerate the presence of the Ring in their realm.

"Legolas is right," Aragorn agreed, turning to his adoptive father. "Glorfindel, what more can be done to help her through this?"

"I have done all I could. Lady Galadriel says there is a part of Sauron still in her fëa. I can feel it there, profoundly anchored in her soul. She refuses to let me approach her… Until she does, I cannot renew our bond and try to get rid of him in her soul. He is waiting, bidding his time. He wants her back."

Aragorn shivered. "How can we protect her?"

"Neither of you can do anything. You will leave in a few days," Galadhon remarked. Only Turgon and Gil-galad had remained with their brother. Oropher and Phoebe had traveled back to Greenwood, convinced that an attack from Dol-Guldur was imminent. It had taken precedence on Phoebe's desire to see her parents back together.

"We can destroy the ring," Legolas replied tersely. "This is our objective. This would permanently free Valerie from his hold."

"You are right. Forgive my words," Galadhon apologized. "We have been helpless for many weeks now. We had thought our naneth was free, but our joy was short-lived. Her captivity is no longer physical, but her mind is still there… She is haunted by memories of her time in Mordor."

"Not only do we think there will be an attack against Greenwood, but we also anticipate an attack from Dol Guldur here too, in Lothlorien," Turgon added. "We are afraid that Sauron will try to take her again while she is here."

"They cannot reach Caras Galadhon," Aragorn stated with conviction. "Not if all the warriors remain at the borders. Haldir has prepared his wardens well."

"Orcs will not reach the city," Gil-galad agreed. "But a Nazgul?"

"You believe that Sauron will send a Nazgul?" Legolas asked.

"More than likely," Glorfindel replied. "This would be the fastest and easiest way for Sauron to get her back. She knows the Nazguls well. She can identify them visually, even says they have different characters. She used to interact with them once in a while. She says they have always been deferential to her. _She was going to be their queen_ ," he spat with anger. He had already shared with his adoptive son and son-in-law that Valerie had been changed physically during her captivity, that she had forgotten her family, that she had been an entirely different person when they had found her.

They all shivered, realizing once again how far gone Valerie had been when her family had taken her from Sauron.

"We will protect her," Glorfindel continued. "And when you destroy his ring, you will destroy him. Hopefully, that little part of his soul inside Valerie will be gone too. Only then will she be free."

OoOoO

 _March 22_ _nd_ _, Year 3019 of the Third Age_

Lothlorien had been attacked twice. The first time, an important number of orcs had arrived near the northern border, most of them carrying their unrefined weapons while a line in the back had been armed with bows and arrows. These arrows had been inflamed and the orchish archers had attempted to burn the trees of Lothlorien. The orcs had greatly underestimated the keen eyesight and agility of the elven archers. Few of the orchish archers had released their inflamed arrows before dying, even if they had been hiding in the back of the Dol Guldur army. Killing the orcs in the front had been child's play afterward, and the wardens of Lothlorien had been victorious rapidly and decisively.

The second attack had been organized more effectively by Khamûl, the Nazgul stationed at Dol Guldur. The orchish army had been at least three times larger than the first time. Catapults had been pulled all the way from Dol Guldur, and this time, flaming spheres of resin had been sent in the direction of the Golden Woods, surprising the elves with the nature of the attack and its effectiveness. Many wardens had been busy stopping the multiple fires from spreading, while the others had attempted to kill with arrows the orcs running in their direction. They had not been able the eliminate them all before they reached the border, and so, the fight had been brought out in the open. Vicious combats had taken place, at the end of which the elves had been victorious again, but unfortunately at a great cost. At least 20 wardens had lost their lives, and much more had been injured, some of them requiring to be brought to Caras Galadhon in order to be treated by the healers.

Each time, the Nazgul had been flying above both the battlefield and the forest, trying to supervise the attack while searching for something in the middle of the woods. Everyone knew what he was looking for, or rather, whom he was looking for.

The city of Caras Galadhon was quiet, with all the ellith and scholars attending to the injured with the healers while that morning started the third attack from Dol Guldur. This time, any ellon that had been trained to use a bow or sword had been stationed at the northern or eastern borders in preparation for the attack.

Although Glorfindel and his sons were not on the battlefield, they knew Lothlorien was under attack again at that very moment. Lady Galadriel was in her private garden, watching in her mirror her mate Celeborn and his father Galadhon fight against the orcs. Galadhon had wanted to protect Valerie by fighting alongside his son, while Gil-galad and Turgon had remained in the city to help their adar control their naneth.

Ever since the first attack 11 days before, Valerie had acted strangely. After weeks during which she had almost been back to her former self, her state had deteriorated each time the Nazgul was flying above the forest, as if the approach of Sauron's troops had activated something in her soul. To their relief, her eyes had remained normal. Whatever this enchantment was, its hold was purely on her soul, it was no longer physical.

Glorfindel had had to restrain her during both attacks to ensure she would not run to the highest flet of Caras Galadhon to call Khamûl, the Nazgul leading the attacks. He was the second-in-command of the Witch-King of Angmar. It had been a sad day indeed when they had had to attach her to her bed and gag her with a silken cloth.

Now, as the third attack was underway, they were looking for her everywhere in the city. She had escaped during the night, as if she had known the Nazgul was going to come back for her.

"Did you look on the highest flets?" Glorfindel asked his sons for the tenth time.

"Yes, we did!" Turgon replied impatiently. "And Gil-galad checked all the city at ground level."

"She has to be somewhere!" Glorfindel cried.

They cringed when they heard above the Mallorn trees the now familiar and horrifying screeches of the Nazgul, who had come back once again, without a doubt to get Valerie back to his master.

"She must be in the trees, not on a flet," Gil-galad assumed.

"She never climbed trees before!" Turgon stated.

"There are many things she was not doing before," Glorfindel sighed before running up the stairs to the highest flets again, followed by his sons. They hoped they would make it on time, before Valerie was out of their reach. When they arrived to the highest flet, they could see the Nazgul circling above the tree tops, in a specific area not too far from them.

"She must be there, she must be climbing and almost at the top of this tree!"

The three ellyn jumped on the nearest branches and moved in the Mallorn trees in the general direction of the Nazgul. Soon, through the leaves, they saw Valerie climbing with difficulty a branch close to the top. She had lost her shoes, her dress had been torn in multiple places and her hair was full of twigs. Her efforts would soon be rewarded unless they stopped her, as she was about to reach the Ringwraith. They moved silently and encircled her. She didn't even realize they were around her, she seemed to be in a trance, watching the top of the tree each time the Nazgul was screeching.

"Valerie," Glorfindel murmured, hoping not to be heard by the Nazgul. "Valerie, my love, what are you doing?"

She stopped climbing and watched him and their sons warily. "He is calling me. That screech… this is how they call my name in their language."

"This is no longer your name," Turgon reminded her. "Even if they call Daeris in their despicable Ringwraith tongue, in the black speech or in the common tongue, you are no longer this woman. You are the Lady of the Golden Flower, Glorfindel's mate and our naneth."

"If I go… they will leave Lothlorien. They will leave this realm, and all the wardens and citizens of Caras Galadhon will live. No one else has to die. Just me. Eventually..."

"They will not leave, Naneth," Gil-galad intervened. "I was there at Dagorlad. Back then, they were planning to destroy any form of life that was not created by Sauron. It is still the same now. The Nazgul will take you, bring you to either Dol Goldur or Minas Morgul, and this time, we will never see you again. And he will come back to destroy Lothlorien. Then, Greenwood. Imladris will be next, and the Grey Havens last."

She fidgeted nervously but suddenly, the Nazgul screeched again and the call became too difficult to resist for the elleth. She attempted to climb again, only to be stopped by Turgon who grabbed her leg and pulled her down to a lower branch. Valerie screamed and called Khamûl in the black speech. Seconds later, the head of the Nazgul's dragon was appearing through the leaves, looking for the elleth who was so important to Sauron.

"Get her out of here!" Glorfindel cried before starting to shoot arrows in the direction of the dragon's head. Gil-galad climbed even higher and tried to sever the dragon's head from its body with his sword, but the Nazgul protected his mount and sent the High King flying down the tree. They saw his body fall through the branches until they heard a loud thud many levels below.

"Gil-galad!" Valerie cried, completely forgetting her desire to sacrifice herself for the greater good of Lothlorien. She broke Turgon's hold around her waist and started climbing down the branches to reach her son, in whatever state he currently was. Realizing that Valerie was no longer planning to leave with the Nazgul, Turgon joined his father and started shooting the dragon, whose head was now full of arrows.

The beast was in pain and was no longer following the commands of its master. Far away in the plains, cries of victory were heard, expressed by elven warriors. The Nazgul left the tree with one last screech, sensing that his troops were in need of his help. However, when he flew over the battlefield, he realized that the time he had wasted trying to get the Master's future lady had cost him dearly. His orcs had been decimated and the survivors were currently being executed. He could not win this battle, not with his dragon injured by the Lord of the Golden Flower. Khamûl had recognized the ellon by the inner light of an elf blessed by the Valar and reborn in Valinor. He knew his master would be furious to know his future lady was back with her former mate.

Seeing no other option, the Nazgul directed his dragon in the direction of Dol Guldur, hoping his flying mount would survive the journey.

Glorfindel and Turgon climbed down the tree, praying that Gil-galad had not lost his life. They soon found the flet he had hit on the way down, Valerie already kneeling beside him. He was conscious although slightly confused. He had a bleeding wound on his forehead and his left forearm showed an unnatural angle.

"Do not try to move your arm!" Valerie cried when he attempted to move his broken limb. "I will immobilize it against your chest and we will bring you to a healing talan."

"I can walk," Gil-galad said while his naneth wiped the blood on his forehead.

"I know you can walk, you are a very lucky ellon! Do you realize that you could have fallen to the ground and died?"

"Next time, I will ask the Nazgul to be more gentle," he teased despite the pain.

"Well… it would not have happened if I had remained in the talan," she guiltily replied.

"Do not think about it," her son replied, taking her hand with his good arm.

"That is a nasty break," Glorfindel evaluated as he knelt beside his son. "I heard Haldir's sister-in-law is an expert with broken bones. We will go see her."

"Why were you trying to reach the Nazgul?" Turgon asked, unable to understand why she had insisted.

"The call was… irresistible. He was promising that every life would be spared if I went back home. I did not realize he was lying. The Eye… it was present in my fëa."

"Your home is in Imladris," Glorfindel reminded her. "We will bring you back there as soon as traveling is safer. Nimrodel and Allison are waiting for you. So are Arwen and Lord Elrond."

"Yes. I want to see them," she replied with a melancholic voice. "Please bring me back there," she pleaded. "Maybe Khamûl will not follow me there!"

"I will, very soon," her mate promised.

"I have a broken arm and my skull is probably cracked. Will anyone take care of me?" Gil-galad asked sarcastically through gritted teeth. He was in pain, that was obvious.

His adar and brother helped him to stand while Valerie ripped the fabric at the bottom of her dress in order to bandage his arm against his chest. Once it was done, the four elves went down the stairs encircling the immense tree trunk.

"Where is my sword?" Gil-galad asked.

"It must have fallen to the ground," Turgon guessed.

"Valar, I loved this sword. You better find it back," Gil-galad threatened his brother and fellow former High King of the Noldor. "Did you at least kill the dragon? What a sight it would be to see the Nazgul walk all the way back to Dol Guldur."

"We did not," Glorfindel admitted.

"Do I have to do everything myself?"

"Says the one who let said Nazgul thrown him like a ragdoll," Turgon teased.

The friendly banter continued until they reached the healing talan. It had helped Gil-galad cope with the pain.

OoOoO

 _Lothlorien_

 _March 25_ _th_ _, Year 3019 of the Third Age_

The three battles in Lothlorien had been hard-won by the Galadhrim, and Haldir had pointed out that an attack on Dol Guldur would undoubtedly stop the foreseeable fourth one. Lady Galadriel had agreed with him, and most of the wardens had left for Dol Goldur two days before along with their lord and lady.

Turgon, Gil-galad and Galadhon had joined Celeborn's army to attack Dol Guldur. Glorfindel was anxiously waiting for news of the attack, spending all his time near Valerie to ensure she would not escape once more. He could still feel some of her darkness, activated by Sauron's attacks all over Middle Earth.

During that afternoon, Valerie came out of her prostration and stared at him incredulously.

"What is wrong?" he asked, alarmed. Did she sense that something had happened to one of their children?

"He is gone..."

"Gone?"

"Gone... vanquished."

"Who? Sauron?!" he asked, wishing against all hope that Sauron had been destroyed by the Fellowship. They had left weeks ago, Mithrandir following them after having been saved by Lady Galadriel, who had sent the eagles to retrieve him after his fight with a Balrog in Moria. She had healed him and he had left Lothlorien as the new White Wizard. Could they have completed their mission after all?

"He ceased to exist!"

"Then you are free! You are fully mine again!"

"I am not certain."

"Why?"

"I still feel… something in me." She started to cry. "I told you I am a creature of darkness!"

"It cannot be!"

"Glorfindel! Listen to me! Even if Sauron was destroyed, it does not mean that all orcs, goblins, Nazguls and other dark creatures have disappeared from Middle Earth. They will have to be killed. One at a time. Do you understand what that means?"

"I will not let anyone touch even one of your hair!" he swore to her. "I will bring you to the Valar for help if necessary."

"I do not think I will be allowed to sail and bring this darkness to Valinor."

Five days later, Dol Guldur was destroyed by the combined forces of the Elvenking and Lord Celeborn. All had fought with valor, including Phoebe, Queen of Greenwood, and all the reborn warriors of the prophecy. However, Lady Galadriel had had a most important role in the battle. Using the waning power of her ring, she had destroyed the fortress while the warriors had killed the orcs that were trying to escape the wreckage.

OoOoO

They had arrived in Minas Tirith a few days earlier, to attend the wedding of Arwen and King Elessar, formerly known as Aragorn or Estel. Lord Elrond, Arwen, Nimrodel, Allison and her son Elrinor had arrived in Lothlorien almost at the same time than the Elvenking, his queen Phoebe, King Oropher and the Princesses Mithrellas and Aranel. It had been a strange reunion for Valerie and her reborn daughters and her sister, who had not seen her since her disappearance 8 years before. It had been obvious that Allison, Mithrellas and Nimrodel had been properly prepared for the encounter. They had remained very quiet around Valerie, had not rushed her into an emotional reunion. They had let her in peace, just watching her with expecting eyes. Were they waiting for Valerie to come out of her silence and prostration? When she would come out of it was anyone's guess.

Everyone had been appalled to learn that Valerie did not feel completely freed from the darkness inside her. They had debated if she should remain in Lothlorien while everyone traveled to Minas Tirith, but in the end, Glorfindel and their children had refused to see her being treated as if she had the plague. She had made the journey, sitting in front of Glorfindel on Asfaloth, surrounded by their children. Their arrival had been discreet. While Arwen and all elven lords and ladies were received very formally by the newly crowned king and his court, Glorfindel and Valerie had entered in the city by a small door and had reached their room before anyone else had even entered the main gate.

In the days following their arrival, Valerie had refused to see anyone outside of her immediate family. She had been told that rumors were running in the city that Sauron's former mate was with the elves. Fearing an attack, Valerie was now hiding until they would all leave after the wedding.

"Mother? Let me in," a familiar voice asked Valerie through the door. She had spent the morning reading quietly and had been hoping that no one would force her to attend Arwen's wedding in the evening. She simply did not think it would be a good idea.

She stood and slowly opened the door to let Phoebe in. She was not alone. The haughty Elvenking was with his mate. They walked in and went to sit on a couch, Phoebe gesturing to her mother to come sit with them. Valerie snorted. Phoebe and Thranduil were acting as if it was their room instead of hers. Oh, the self-confidence of royalty! She closed the door and went to sit with them.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the wedding?" she asked them.

"Shouldn't you be preparing too?"

"I am not attending."

"Yes, Adar told me," Phoebe replied lightly. "I could not believe it when I heard it."

"What is unbelievable in this?" Valerie asked sarcastically. "You think I feel like putting myself on display while the populace thinks I am a dark witch?"

"It will only be worse if you stay in your room," Thranduil coldly commented. "Your reputation grows every day. By now, these mortals think that you can kill them with just one look. If you keep hiding, they will soon believe that your hair is made of fire and that you can fly. It must be stopped."

"If you show up, looking like the normal lady that you are, they will realize that you are just a regular elleth and forget about you."

"I am not a regular elleth. My reputation will not disappear. I can see the fear when people look at me, even in the eyes of the elven people."

"And what if you scare them a little?" Phoebe asked. "You think you are the only one living with darkness inside her?"

"I know, everyone has shadows in their fëa, right?" Valerie laughed darkly. "Spare me your poor words of comfort and leave me alone. I wish you will have a pleasant night. Give my love to Estel and Arwen."

"No, not everyone has a shadow in their heart or in their soul," Phoebe continued as if Valerie did not want to end this conversation. "But we do."

"We?"

"Thranduil and I. Ever since our binding. The second one, after the birth of Aranel. This is what Thranduil and I have decided to talk to you about today."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do not tell me you never realized how I had changed after this second binding."

"Well… Yes, I had noticed a… lack of patience and of interest for certain people you are not close to."

"You forget to mention an increase in cruelty and a desire to hurt the people that I cannot stand."

"You exaggerate!"

"Believe me, I do not. Mother, some days, when people anger me… I can barely refrain from taking out my sword and hurt them. I picture it and take pleasure in their imaginary pain. Some days, the temptation is so strong… I have to leave the room immediately. Thranduil keeps my sword locked and I am only allowed to take it out when I am planning to train or when I travel."

Valerie stared disbelievingly at her daughter, who only smiled wickedly in return. She turned to Thranduil who simply nodded to confirm Phoebe's words.

"Why? How?"

"I am afraid it comes from me," Thranduil said, standing to pace in Valerie's room. "I assume you have heard the rumors."

"The old ones? Yes, I did. But Phoebe never talked about it. And so I assumed they were not true."

"Well, they are. To make a long and painful story short, a long time ago, I found myself fighting against a dragon. I was trying to distract it to give my warriors a chance to escape. I had no such luck."

Valerie turned to Phoebe, who was looking at her mate with love. Her eyes went back to her son-in-law, who still had his back to her.

"The dragon flames burned my left side, from head to waist. My skin melted and-"

"She gets it," Phoebe said, watching her mother who had turned green.

"I want her to understand," he replied with impatience.

"Stop the suspense, then!"

Thranduil slowly turned and Valerie was horrified to see the destroyed face of Phoebe's mate. The left half of his face had barely any skin left, and she could see the muscles and sinews while his left eye was white and probably blind. His neck was no better and she imagined that his chest was the same underneath his richly adorned tunic.

He simply stood there, watched her haughtily while she was recovering from the shock.

"Did you know?" Valerie asked Phoebe.

"Yes. I had seen his real appearance before we were married. He is my mate, Mother. Permanently injured or not."

When Valerie turned back to Thranduil, he had regained his normal appearance. "How do you hide it?"

"Saruman taught me the spell, when he was still on our side."

"Why did you show me... this?"

"Because I wanted you to know that a dragon burn cannot heal. Its darkness invades every part of you. Fëa, heart, mind… nothing is spared. The desire to force the strong into submission and to hurt the weak is overwhelming. This shadow has remained in me for many millennia. It can even be shared with your fëa-mate when you bind yourself..."

"Mother, I have been living with this darkness for almost 75 years, and see? No one knows what I am going through. And no ones knows the extent of Thranduil's fall into the shadows. These dark desires I feel, he feels them ten times more than I ever did."

"Did it stop once Sauron disappeared?"

"Valar, no! It would have been too easy. But the good news is… Adar still loves you despite this. You will learn to live with that part of you. The people will eventually stop talking about you. It will become rumors… and then legend..."

"At least," Thranduil added, "you bear no physical sign of it. You are luckier than I am."

"My eyes...they had changed. But they came back to normal."

"Let us hope they truly did. There is another possibility. Did you ever ask yourself if Lady Galadriel had not used a spell similar to Saruman's to hide your true pupils like he did for my scars?"

"I would have preferred not to hear your theory," Valerie cried, hiding her eyes.

"Glorfindel loves you no less than Phoebe loves me. He will learn to live with this. You will learn to live with this. You will, I assure you."

"In the meantime, you will get dressed and show up to Arwen's wedding," Phoebe commanded. "She is your friend and she will be very sad if you are not attending."

"I have no decent dresses."

"I will give you one. We are the same size after all. I will help you to get ready."

Seeing the hesitation in her mother's eyes, Phoebe added: "Imagine how Ada will be pleased. If you do not do it for Arwen, do it for him. He is so worried about you."

"Do you think he knows?"

"Of course, he does," Thranduil answered. "He was reborn in Valinor and carries the light of the Valar. He can feel darkness in another realm! And despite this, did he give you the impression that he despises you? That he is afraid of you?"

"No, never." Glorfindel had always been attentive and loving. Never had he been impatient or showed that this darkness in her was horrifying him. Not even when she had not been herself anymore.

"Then he accepted you. He will help. Do not try to hide anything from him. That would be a mistake."

* * *

A/N: Valerie still hasn't fully recovered, but at least, she now realizes that she is not the only one in her family carrying a darkness that changes her personality… In the next chapter, how will the people of Minas Tirith welcome her in their city?

Princessnera: Glorfindel will never let her down, not after all she did when he was struggling himself!

fihunt: unfortunately, the bond is still far from being reestablished…

Maggie: yes, there will be some Valinor scenes towards the end of the story. I like ending my stories well with a many people as possible in the Undying Lands…

Paperlanterns86: the memories are back, but Sauron's destruction didn't completely heal Valerie. It will require much more time and the intervention of much more powerful people.

Aralinn: Valerie is not at the end of her painful situation. In the next chapter, there is more grief to come…But Glorfindel will eventually succeed in helping her recover fully.

glassary: Glorfindel is too prudent to ignore a recommendation made that way. He understands perfectly what would happen if Valerie gets pregnant while she still has a bit of Sauron within her. And Valerie is nowhere near ready to resume their relationship as it used to be…


	27. Chapter 27 - Rooftops

_Chapter 26 ended with:_

" _He was reborn in Valinor and carries the light of the Valar. He can feel darkness in another realm! And despite this, did he give you the impression that he despises you? That he is afraid of you?"_

" _No, never." Glorfindel had always been attentive and loving. Never had he been impatient or showed that this darkness in her was horrifying him. Not even when she had not been herself anymore._

" _Then he accepted you. He will help. Do not try to hide anything from him. That would be a mistake."_

 **Chapter 27 - Rooftops**

She had listened to the rumors during the entire ceremony, and had ignored the accusatory looks of the new king's subjects. She put all her attention on the couple being wed and the vows they were exchanging. Arwen was glowing with happiness, her eyes never leaving the king's. Valerie noticed that Elrond looked more sad than happy, just like his sons. This was the official end of Arwen's life as an immortal. She would never be allowed to sail now. She would start aging, like a mortal, and eventually fade or die of a disease. Valerie could not understand why Arwen looked so happy under the circumstances. She really didn't seem to care to lose her immortality.

Valerie turned her eyes to Glorfindel and observed him attentively. She had been a mortal once, and had gained immortality when she had arrived in Middle Earth to be bound to an ellon. It was the complete opposite situation than the one Arwen was finding herself in. She was 128 years old and still looked like she did on the day she had crossed the portal. She had been married 96 years to Glorfindel. Almost a century. If he were to become mortal and start aging, would she want to lose her immortality to be with him?

He realized she was observing him and gave her a questioning look. She remembered all these decades of happiness between them. Would she spend an eternity without him, or rather choose to live a mortal life with him, trying to enjoy the limited time they had left together?

He gently squeezed her hand. She smiled back. Yes, a mortal life with him it would be. There was no other choice for her than staying with her mate, regardless of their situation. Arwen was making the right choice.

The ceremony was over and the king and the new queen were leading their guests to the hall where the dinner would be held. She took the arm Glorfindel was offering and followed the others, sensing the hostile gazes of the Gondorian nobles. Her sons made a protective circle around her, but Glorfindel reminded them to be discreet. Nobles would never dare attack the elven guests of the king.

"Glorfindel? I am not hungry. I would like to go back to our room instead of attending the dinner," she murmured. She did not feel strong enough to endure the aggressive stares of the king's people.

"I will stay with you," he decided.

"No, I am fine. Please go to the dinner, it is important that you attend as a representative of Imladris. It is imperative that you all attend," she said to her children around them. "Estel is almost a brother to you."

"What will you do?"

"I will go to bed. I am tired..."

"I will escort you to our room," Glorfindel said.

"I know the way," she laughed. "Please, go before your absence is noticed."

She watched them leave and smiled to Glorfindel when he stared at her worriedly before entering the hall. She walked in the direction of their room, but soon, her steps took her outside of the palace. She stood in front of the White Tree, seeing it with leaves and flowers for the first time since her last visit. The guards were ignoring her presence, as they did for everyone. She decided to walk to the edge of the bastion. She had heard that the former Steward Denethor had jumped down from it during the attack from Mordor. Speaking of which, the view to the East had much improved. There were no more dark clouds, the Great Eye was gone, like the tower of Barad-dur. She wondered if Minas Morgul was still standing. The Mouth was dead, killed by Aragorn. She had felt sorrow when she had heard that he had been decapitated by her almost-son. The Nazguls had been destroyed. Except for the stray bands of orcs that were still roaming, she was the only remnant of the era when Sauron was still a threat.

Feeling the familiar anguish coming back, she decided to walk in the city until the celebrations were over. She had always liked the lower levels of the city when she had visited Minas Tirith previously. She went down three levels, fascinated by the activity of the people. The reconstruction was well underway. Many houses had been damaged during the attack by the Mordor army, and there were stones everywhere on the sides of the street and around the houses being rebuilt. She was so absorbed in her observation of the houses, shops and the people that she didn't realize the murmurs around her until there were a little group of people following her.

She stopped and watched them warily. She distinctively heard the words "witch", "Sauron's whore" and "Dark Lady" when they were whispering to each other. At first, she thought they were just curious about her and she continued to walk aimlessly to the lower levels of the city. However, the crowd grew bigger and kept following her, their hostility increasing with the number of people.

She could not go back to the upper levels, they would block her way. She now was afraid and watched around for an elf to protect her, but there were none in the vicinity. She didn't have a bow either. She had never imagined that she would need it when walking in the streets of Minas Tirith. There were too many people following her, she could not enter a shop, she would be trapped inside. She kept walking as if she had not noticed she was being followed, trying to come up quickly with a plan.

Maybe there would be an elf in the guest houses on the lower levels? Most of their warriors may be attending the festivities, but some may have decided to remain in their quarters. If not, she could at least lock herself in the guest house, until help came to her. Right at that moment, she realized that her family thought she was quietly resting in her bed. No one would think to look for her until later that evening. And Glorfindel would not feel her, since they had been unable to reestablish their bond properly since her abduction. She was in much more trouble than she had originally thought.

She arrived in the guest house and closed the door behind her, using the nearby beam to barricade herself. There was no one in the common room.

"Is there anyone here?" she called in Sindarin, hoping someone would be in their room. She heard a noise upstairs and a Swan soldier from Dol Amroth entered the common room.

"Is there a problem, Lady Valerie?" he asked in the common tongue, recognizing the red-haired mother of Princess Mithrellas, the elven ancestor of Prince Imrahil.

"Are there any elves here?" she inquired.

"I am afraid I am alone. Everyone is either at the dinner or attending some festivities in the inns all over the city. Can I help you with something?"

"There are people following me. I think… I think they want to hurt me."

"I doubt it, my Lady. No one would dare even touching one of your hair. They know your husband and sons would retaliate in a forceful manner, the king included."

"I think you are wrong," she murmured, spying on the crowd standing in front of the guest house. He followed her to the window and observed them. Many were talking and pointing at the house. A leader stood on a wooden box and started a tirade that clearly was encouragement to take care of the problem the she-devil represented.

She was going to die. Like a witch in the Middle Ages. One of them actually had a pitchfork. Others had torches. Would they kill her, burn her? What had she done to deserve their hate, except being abducted and held in Minas Morgul against her will? Would she be judged and condemned by the people of Minas Tirith, with no one to help her before it was too late? Would the Swan soldier protect her or save himself?

"The situation is more serious than I thought," the warrior admitted, keeping his calm demeanor to ensure she would not panic. She was in danger, that was very obvious, and she was also trapped in the guest house.

"Maybe you can go get help at the palace?" Valerie suggested. How long would it take for him to get her mate on the top level of the city? The crowd would have time to kill her ten times before anyone rescued her.

"And leave you alone here? Never. I think we should try to escape by the roof."

"By the roof?" Valerie looked at her delicate dress and her high heel shoes. It was one thing to climb in trees and quite another to run on the slippery roofs of a city. Some houses were scattered in the streets and would require jumping between the roofs, while others were too high to climb or even had a dome. Her chances of escaping without falling from a roof and breaking a leg were thin. But she had no choice. She removed her shoes and faced the warrior. "We need to leave now."

Outside, the man had finished his harangue, and the crowd was getting closer to the guest house. Valerie and the Swan warrior went up to the third floor, and he opened a window in the back of the house. They started hearing the booming noise of massive objects hitting the wooden front door.

"Hurry", Valerie cried. They literally were a minute away from being captured and hurt by the mob.

He stood on the window sill first and climbed on the roof by grabbing its edge, pushing himself all the way up. It looked difficult, even for a trained soldier. Once he was sitting on the roof, he bent over the edge and extended his hand for her to take. "Come on!" he said, knowing they had little time left. She grabbed his arm and he pulled her up quickly.

Valerie did not enjoy the breathtaking view of the city. She stared at the houses around and wondered how she would ever escape from the guest house. The front door finally broke and the crowd started flowing in the guest house. The soldier pulled her along and they jumped on the roof of the next house, and then on the following, one after the other.

 _Glorfindel!_ Valerie kept crying in her mind like a mantra. She stopped when she saw that the next jump was way too wide for her. This was it. The place where her escape ended. The Swan soldier, who was already on the other roof, turned around and realized she would not be able to follow him.

"The Dark Lady is gone!" Loud shouts of disappointment were heard in the guest house, still too close from them.

"Find her!" the leader cried. "She may have escaped by the roof!"

"Jump!" the Swan warrior ordered. "We will soon have company!"

A man appeared on the roof of the guest house. "She is here!" he cried to the rest of the mob.

The Swan soldier looked around. Either they jumped down and started escaping by the street, or they kept jumping from one roof to another, which would require him tossing her many times, risking her life by the same token. He briefly contemplated the possibility of leaving her behind. She was not a lady of Dol Amroth after all. On the other hand, the new king of Gondor liked her as a mother, and she was the naneth of Princess Mithrellas. Him leaving her would mean his death at the hand of the king, Prince Imrahil or an elf from her large family. No, he really had no choice but to save her.

His choice made, he jumped back on the roof where she was still standing and tossed her as gently as he could on the next one, which had a slightly domed shape. She tried to grad the chimney but missed. She started falling and grabbed the edge of the roof at the last second.

Some of the crowd was already running in the street, trying to locate them on the roofs. They would get caught.

OoOoO

"Lady Galadriel wishes to sail within the decade," Haldir shared with Glorfindel. "It is unlikely that Lord Celeborn will sail so soon. Ever since the destruction of Dol Guldur, her powers have been failing. She feels the call of the sea more acutely than before."

"Lord Elrond has not shared his plans with me. I doubt that he will want to remain in Middle Earth until Arwen..." he stopped, unable to say the words that would break the hearts of the ruling family of Imladris. "On the other hand, Valerie..."

"It may be best for her health to live in Valinor," Haldir agreed delicately. It was clear for everyone with eyes to see that Valerie had not yet mentally recovered from her years of captivity.

Further down the table, the king and queen of Greenwood were watching the guests, a look of absolute boredom on their haughty faces. For the mortals attending the dinner, they were by far the most extraordinary elven couple. The rulers of Lothlorien were beautiful and intimidating but nevertheless had a look of benevolence that made the humans feel secure in their presence. The rulers of Greenwood on the other hand, were just as beautiful but were downright scary with their coldness and contempt.

Phoebe was not even eating, absolutely livid that her mother had had to hide from Estel's entourage. She was watching her family while distractedly listening to the conversations around her.

"I too, would rather spend an evening in Naneth's company than here," Oropher whispered in Sindarin only for her to hear.

"The Valar knows that I like Arwen, but I cannot wait for this dinner to be over. It is not right that we are here while Mother is not allowed to attend."

"Your naneth was allowed to attend," Thranduil added his grain of salt. "It was her own decision not to come."

Both his father and his wife glared at him while he grinned, satisfied of the effect his words had had on them. Phoebe decided to ignore her mate's bait and turned her attention to her father, who must have been missing Valerie too. Glorfindel and Haldir were still discussing the future projects of their lords.

"Do you think Lord Elrond will-" Haldir stopped when he saw the Imladris captain freeze in the middle of their conversation. He started looking around him as if searching for someone.

The queen of Greenwood quickly stood. The Elvenking grabbed her arm, silently questioning her about her unusual behavior at a formal dinner.

"Ada?" she whispered, calling Glorfindel. "What is wrong?"

"I can feel your naneth!" Glorfindel didn't seem to trust his own impression. After all, his bond with Valerie had been almost severed years before, and the months they had recently spent together had had no restorative effect in this regard.

"That is a good thing, no?" Mithrellas asked, taking the hand of Legolas who was sitting beside her. "We should all rejoice that our parents can feel their bond once more!"

"She is… terrified," Glorfindel murmured, before looking at all his family for support. "She may be in great danger!"

"But she is in her room!" Mithrellas reminded him.

"Did you truly think she would remain in her room like a young child while we are attending a wedding dinner?" Phoebe questioned her younger sister. "Where is she?" she asked her father, determined to find out if her mother was facing an unknown threat.

"I have no idea. She is not near, as far as I can tell."

Glorfindel stood, followed by all his children, Thranduil and Legolas. King Elessar, who was talking to Elrond nearby, turned around when he saw their departure. Turgon quickly informed him that Glorfindel could feel that Valerie was in danger somewhere in Minas Tirith.

They all left the dining hall located at the highest level of the city, and Phoebe went to the nearest wall to watch the levels below. "There is a lot of activity at the level of the Guest House. I see a group of people with torches. About 40 or 50 people. Do you think she could be there?"

"You can count on your naneth to be in the middle of any commotion," Thranduil grumbled. No one listened to his comment, they all were already running down the streets to the lowest levels, swords ready in case Valerie had once again found herself at the wrong place at the wrong moment. Many warriors followed their lords and kings, including Elladan and Elrohir.

They made it to the lowest levels in record time, the citizens watching with curiosity their king and an important group of elves running in the main street. When they arrived near the Guest House, there was a crowd cheering and screaming in malicious delight, encircling people that they could not see.

"Take her eyes out! I heard Sauron's whore can turn people into stone when they cross her gaze!" a woman yelled in the middle of the crowd.

"Make way for the king!" a soldier commanded, and the mob suddenly calmed down, like a bunch of children caught by the adults while they bullied another.

"What is happening here?" Elessar asked around to his people, none of which could hold his gaze. The elves were standing behind him, not wanting to intervene unless an elf was involved.

"Valerie?" Glorfindel called, feeling that his mate was close.

"Glorfindel!" she pitifully cried from the middle of the crowd.

Glorfindel pushed the people away and the crowd opened up, seeing the stunning elf had a dangerous look on his face. All the other elves bore a similar expression, even the king. Some people tried to discreetly leave the scene, but the elves didn't allow them, threatening them with their weapons.

In the middle was Valerie, her beautiful gown torn in many places, her hair disheveled and many scratches and bruises on her face and arms. She was being held against her will by a huge hairy man with a bovine face and a thin man with a vicious look on his features. They both let her go as soon as they saw their king had arrived on the scene. Valerie's companion was in worst shape, the Swan soldier had received a few blows to the face and had been stabbed at least twice, in the shoulder and on the leg.

As soon as she was freed, Valerie ran to Glorfindel and he hugged her against his chest. Elrohir helped the Swan soldier who had protected Valerie as much as he could and dragged him away from the mob.

"I want reparation for this!" Glorfindel bellowed to the king.

"I assure you, Lord Glorfindel," the king replied formally, "this crime will not go unpunished."

"No, it will not!" Phoebe's voice cried from the other side of the crowd. An instant later, the big man who had been holding her naneth had her sword coming out of his chest.

In the crowd, the people started to cry in fear.

"Queen Phoebe, please refrain from killing my people!" the king shouted over the cacophony. "No one else is dying tonight!"

"Oups!" the cold voice of the Elvenking said beside his wife. "You should have said it quicker." The thinner of Valerie's attackers fell to the ground, his throat cut by the king's knife.

Immediately, the crowd dispersed, trying to avoid the deadly swords of the outraged elves. The Greenwood royal couple seemed satisfied with their accomplishment, and many elves seemed to be of the same mind.

"No one else dies!" King Elessar yelled angrily. "This is my kingdom, these are my people!"

"Look what your people have done to our naneth!" Oropher replied, pointing at his mother. "And to think she raised you like her own son!"

"Shame on you!" Turgon growled in the king's direction.

"Oropher! Turgon!" Valerie whispered. "This is not Estel's fault. They have not said or done anything that I did not deserve..."

"Never repeat such a thing!" Glorfindel hissed desperately. Would Valerie ever heal? Would she ever forget what she had lived during her captivity? "We will go back to our chambers and talk about this."

"No!" Valerie cried. "No," she repeated less forcefully. "They will try to hurt me. They will ambush me again..."

"We will camp outside the gates tonight," Phoebe decided. "My warriors will install the tents far enough from the city. We will decide what we will do tomorrow morning, after a good night of sleep."

"Please, do not leave Minas Tirith!" Estel pleaded.

"My daughter knows what is best for her naneth, Estel. We will wait for your escort outside of the gates." Glorfindel pulled Valerie with him and they walked swiftly in the direction of the gate, followed by their sons, weapons ready to defend their parents.

"Visit us tomorrow," the Elvenking told his Gondor counterpart. "There will be much to discuss. And make sure that this Swan warrior gets rewarded for protecting Valerie. He was courageous and the family owes him much."

OoOoO

The next morning, King Elessar, Queen Arwen and her father Elrond rode to the elven camp that had been set during the previous evening. They had been preceded by the rest of Valerie's children, Allison and Legolas, who had not been there the previous evening. Everyone was waiting for them except Valerie, who was still in one of the tents.

They accepted the offered cups of tea and sat by the fire with Glorfindel's family. No words were exchanged at first.

"She cannot linger here for long," Glorfindel eventually remarked.

"She could stay a few more weeks and spend time with Arwen," Estel said.

"He meant that she cannot remain in Middle Earth," Elrond sighed. Estel could be so obtuse sometimes.

"Why?" Arwen cried. "She will eventually forget what happened to her!"

"Our naneth never forgot," Elrohir darkly reminded her.

"Valerie was not even tortured like naneth had been!"

"There are many different ways of tormenting people," Elrond told his daughter regretfully. "Valerie has been subjected to the companionship of creatures of darkness for many years. She even began a physical transformation, which was reversed, thank the Valar! No one can predict how the body or the mind will recover. In her case, Valinor seems to be the only option."

"I would like to spend some time with her before she sails," Mithrellas quietly said. "Legolas has vowed to remain with Estel for the duration of his reign. I will not be with her for many years to come." The resentful look she sent to Legolas showed her entire family that she was far from happy with this unexpected development. Her mate had the decency to look ashamed.

"We should bring her back to Imladris first," Phoebe said. "Being back home may help her recovery, and maybe sailing will not be necessary."

"I find it beyond belief that you are all discussing my fate outside of my presence."

All turned around to see Valerie standing nearby, a look of disdain on her face.

"I am the mother of many of you sitting here, I am not a child, for the Valar's sake! I can make my own decisions!"

"Then what do you wish to do, Mother?" Thranduil asked, using that name for the first time while addressing Valerie. He had never called her that way before, both of them finding it inappropriate since they were not close. The fact that he was using it now was only a way to annoy her, show her how strange it was for them all that she claimed not being a child when she was so much younger than all of them.

"I want to go home. To Imladris," she specified after a moment.

Phoebe rolled her eyes comically. "You could have spared us the suspense..."

"I want to leave as soon as possible," Valerie continued, ignoring her daughter's jibe.

"But Naneth..." Mithrellas started.

"You know where I will be, Sweetie. I trust your mate did not forget his way to Imladris, even if he forgot that he was mated before making stupid decisions." Legolas bit his tongue not to reply to his mother-in-law. The looks of his brothers-in-law also promised retribution if he dared defend himself.

"Glorfindel? Will you bring me home tomorrow?"

"Of course," Glorfindel replied, standing and joining her. He took her hand and kissed it reverently. "I trust a few of you will be escorting us?" he asked to their children.

"I think the real question is: who will stay here?" Phoebe asked.

"I will stay a little while, and my sons will escort me back," Elrond said, telling his captain that he allowed him to go back to Imladris without leading his lord's escort. It was also an acknowledgment that bringing Valerie back home was more important than his own safety. It was a statement telling Glorfindel he was extremely appreciated, but also that the lord loved Valerie very much.

Arwen and Estel looked down, knowing they would probably never see Valerie again after that day.

"I am so sorry," Valerie whispered to them.

"Do not be," Arwen cried softly. "This is not your fault."

"Please do not think that this is the result of a lack of feelings for you. I love both of you. Arwen, you have always been my best friend, the one who guided me when I first arrived in Middle Earth. And Estel…"

"I love you too," the new king said with ardent eyes. "I always felt so conflicted to love you just as much as the woman who had given birth to me. But I did."

"I knew. I never needed to hear the words."

"I am king now, and I cannot forget about my duty. I am deeply sorry for what happened yesterday. You did not deserve any of it. But my people… I honestly think that you cannot enter Minas Tirith again. They are now frightened by you, Thranduil and Phoebe, and scared people can react unpredictably."

"What a shame, I was so looking forward to come here on vacation regularly," Phoebe replied sarcastically.

"I guess you will have to make do with Imladris or Caras Galadhon, my poor queen," Thranduil replied in a dramatic tone. "What a crushing disappointment it will be for you."

"Please, stop this," Glorfindel requested, understanding both sides of the problem. "Estel does not have a choice. Otherwise, his people could turn against Arwen, and this is the last thing we all wish."

Everyone nodded. They would leave without making a fuss if only for her sake. The Evenstar deserved the love of her new people rather than their contempt. It was more important than the pride of the elven guests.

OoOoO

They had made it back to Imladris in record time. Valerie seemed better as they were approaching their home, as if she had left her troubles behind in Gondor. She had chatted more with her family, even if she was still uncomfortable with her mate.

She had been happy when they had passed the gate, looking at the waterfalls and at the manor with delight. She had jumped down Asfaloth without a look back at her mate and had run to the stairs and in the direction of their apartment. Her family had looked at each other and decided to let her do as she wished. There was no danger for her in the realm.

Glorfindel and her had shared a tent during the journey, and then a bed once they had reached Imladris. Many times, they had slept hand in hand, but nothing more. Glorfindel remembered Phoebe's last advice, before going on separate ways when she went back to Greenwood with her mate. _Valar, when will you man up and just make love to her? I have been repeating this ever since we brought her to Lothlorien. S_ _o_ _metimes, I wonder how you actually slept with her out of wedlock._ She had laughed after seeing his uncomfortable face. _No! She_ _was_ _the one who took the lead_ _at the time_ _? I am so proud of her! Well now, you obviously cannot expect her to take the lead. She believes she would be tainting you with her darkness. You will have to show her, maybe forcefully, that you cannot care less about this darkness. Promise me you will take her. Within the week of your arrival_ _in Imladris_ _. Promise me!_

He had promised, and now found himself on the seventh day since their arrival while he still had not made a single move. Glorfindel was an elf of his word. He knew that Valerie had decided to go to the river that afternoon. Alone. This may be his only chance to be with Valerie out of earshot from their numerous children who had traveled with them to Imladris.

He went to the stables, unseen by anyone, and took Asfaloth for a ride to the river. Hiding in various areas of the Last Homely House, all his children had been watching him, hoping that this time, their adar would stop being a gentleman and did what was necessary to bring back their naneth from her darkness.

Valerie had been sitting on her favorite rock, the one on which she had read for decades while watching her sons and daughters while they played in the cold water. The familiarity of the view, the sound of the river had been very comforting to her soul. Nothing had changed, Imladris was still a land of peace. Her abduction had not changed anything to that, and she could now be back in that familiar environment and try to go back to her peaceful former self too.

But in order to do this, she needed to get rid of the impurity she could feel on her skin. No one could see it. Her skin was as perfect as it had always been. She looked at her fingers. Yes, they looked as they had always looked. But she felt like her skin was covered in invisible filth. She also knew this was in her head. How did you get rid of dirt that was only present in your mind? All the baths and scrubbing with sand had not been enough. She only had given herself rashes with these methods. She looked at the river. Its water was so cold and pure. Lord Elrond had been protecting its purity, and had recently used it to attack the Nazguls who were following the hobbits and Glorfindel. He had fought darkness with the waters of the river. She kept watching it pensively.

She took her decision quickly, disregarding the little voice in her head telling her that the water would be extremely cold during the fall. She removed her cape and her dress, and let the cold wind bite her naked skin for a little while, offering her body to the nature around her. She held her breath and jumped into the water from her rock.

The water was absolutely frigid. It was so cold it was burning her skin. She resisted the temptation of going back on the rocks, and remained in the river until she was shaking and could barely move her fingers. Did she feel cleaner after this frigid dip in the river? Had all the imaginary filth caused by her stay in Mordor gone from her skin? She looked at her hands red from the cold. She was crazy, that was the problem. This darkness in a little corner of her soul would not disappear by bathing in the river, or by scrubbing her skin raw. It would disappear after many years spent with her family, and maybe the help of the Valar would be necessary since Lady Galadriel had not been completely successful. She was about to get out of the water when she heard the voice of someone she would have preferred had not witnessed this recent madness of hers.

"I would ask what is it that you think you are doing in the river when the temperature is obviously too cold for you to enjoy a swim. Just looking at your blue lips, I would say hypothermia is a strong possibility if you do not get out of the water immediately. But it is up to you. I am done trying to understand what is going on in that head of yours."

Valerie glared at her husband who was standing on her favorite rock. He looked angry for the first time since they had been reunited. So far, he had been supportive, patient and loving. She had been indifferent, depressed and had ignored his attempts at a reconciliation. She needed to apologize for her behavior. But first, she needed to get out of the river before she froze to death. However, she was naked and her dress and cloak were on the rocks. Glorfindel was observing her, wondering if she would dare fully expose herself to his view for the first time since he had saved her. He was daring her!

She gritted her teeth, walked out of the water, reached the rock and grabbed her dress. Her fingers were too numb to put it on quickly. Sighing heavily, Glorfindel took her cloak and wrapped her in it, making sure that her wet hair was covered by the hood.

"We cannot ride back until you are warm and properly dressed. Let us wait a little while," he added grumpily. He sat down and pulled her down against his chest, putting his own cloak around her to ensure she would be warm.

She was now used to lean against his large frame, having ridden Asfaloth with him for weeks. She put her head against his neck and tried to control her shivers. He put his arms around her and pulled her even closer to his chest.

"I am sorry for all the worries I have caused you in the past," she whispered after a few moments. "Please believe me when I say that I am trying very hard to recover… to get back to my former self..."

"I can see that. It is difficult to watch you trying to find your way back to us without allowing us to help you..." Glorfindel bent his head and softly kissed her temple.

"You kiss me… You touch me… I cannot understand why you are not repulsed by what happened to me. I keep telling you that I am no longer the person I used to be! But you persist!"

"And I will always persist," he continued. "If you think that a little darkness will scare me away, you do not know me very well, even if we have been married for almost a century. I will never cease to love you, to want to touch you."

She felt his hand slowly make its way inside her cloak, and caress her waist.

"I am wondering if this is not part of the plan of the Valar… of all the mates you could have been with when you arrived in Middle Earth,-"

"You mean, when Lord Elrond and Mithrandir abducted me?" she cut him with humor.

"When they went to your world to get you," he said more diplomatically, "you could have been with Legolas, Haldir or myself. But which one of us was better prepared to support you through this ordeal? Who can compensate the traces of Sauron still in your fëa if not someone whose fëa has already been purified in the Halls of Mandos?"

"That is not why I chose you!" she snorted.

"Why did you chose me then?" He kept the conversation going, since she did not notice that his hand was now casually touching her ribs. Her body… it had not changed at all, his hands recognized the softness of her skin and the firmness of her muscles. It violently stirred his desire but he kept it on a tight leash.

"For your good looks, I guess! If I remember correctly, you were not one to talk all that much back then. Even now, you listen to people and give them sound advice, but they are left unsatisfied if they are looking for small talk," she teased.

"Are you looking for small talk right now? Perhaps I could comment on Thranduil's tunic at Estel's wedding, and how perfectly it fit his slender frame..."

She laughed out loud and slapped his arm as a punishment.

"I love your laughter," he whispered in her ear. "I want to hear you laugh at least once a day from now on."

She leaned her head against him again, closing her eyes. She seemed to have noticed that his hand was slowly roaming all over her upper body. "I do not understand how you can still desire me," she whispered desolately.

"If I had been a prisoner of Sauron for many years and came back to you, would you have rejected me once we were reunited?"

"That is so not the same thing!"

"And how is that any different?"

"I am certain Sauron would not have planned to mate with you. And started turning you into said mate."

"I see no difference. He did not succeed in mating with you, just like he would never have mated with me, as you say."

"He almost succeeded."

"But he did not… I think you need to admit that he did not. That you still are yourself despite all you went through."

It was hard to argue with Glorfindel. The recent years of torment had turned him into such a pig-headed ellon! She decided to share her most secret concern with him. Maybe then he would understand her dilemma.

"And if that darkness left in me is a little piece of Sauron waiting to be reborn the next time we have an elfling? We would be the proud parents of the worst being that ever walk in Middle Earth and Valinor combined."

"Then we won't have another elfling."

"But we always wanted to have a child of our own one day! And, if Adam… if Adam is in the Halls of Mandos, what happens with him?"

"I swear to you that as soon as we arrive in Valinor, we will visit the Valar and ask them to help us. I have protected Elrond's family as they had requested, I believe that I can ask for a small favor."

"Small favor?"

"I am sure that curing your fëa will be an easy task for them. You must have faith in my words, trust that the Valar will help the elleth they have selected to give birth to all their reborn elves. Stop worrying about the future, just try to cope with the present. Which includes your family, and your mate. Who really wants to be your mate again, in all senses of the word."

Slowly, his arm went upwards until it was right underneath her breasts. He could feel them against his forearm, tempting, and he remembered how perfectly they used to fit in his hands. Valerie's breathing had picked up, but she had not pushed his arm back down around her waist. When his hand closed around her right breast, she froze.

"What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, he started to gently massage her, feeling her nipple harden against his palm. He had tentatively caressed her when they had traveled between Ithilien and Lothlorien when they had first retrieved her, but she had not been herself at the time. Now, it was her he was caressing, his Valerie both physically and mentally. Both his hands were now on Valerie's body, moving around her shoulders, her breasts, her waist in a slight caress.

"Not like this," she begged. He figured it looked too much like what had happened to her in the recent past. That damned mist that Sauron had used to seduce her into obedience. Was there something Sauron could not have done to her? Of course. From what Galadriel had told him, the mist had only caressed her skin. He just needed to bring their intimacy to the next level, a level that Sauron could only have reached in his physical form.

He kept an arm around her waist to maintain her against him while his other hand opened the cloak completely. His hand traveled to the apex of her thighs and quickly found her folds. He moved her backward to have better access.

He could read her like an open book. She was confused by his actions, wondering why he still wanted to be intimate with her. She was also tempted by the pleasure he was giving her. He had noticed a fleeting spark of love for him in her eyes. She still loved him. She simply thought she was despicable, tainted by her contacts with Sauron. He would show her by real actions that she was still the one for him.

She gasped when he firmly stroked her clitoris repetitively. She immediately tensed in his arms, angling herself to give him even better access.

"And like that, is it okay?" he purred.

She did not answer, but he listened to her moans and gasps to guide him. When she leaned backward a little more, he knew she was ready for more. He slowly gathered some of her moisture with his finger, and gently inserted it into her, moving it slowly while he kissed and licked her ear. She was so hot, so wet. Despite the cold, the skin of her entire body was now warm under the cloak. He inserted a second finger and moved them faster, until she was arching against him, ready to come.

"Yes, yes," she begged desperately. He could no longer resist and kissed her lips. She immediately responded and soon, he was thoroughly reacquainting himself with her mouth. He only released her once she was out of breath.

"I will never tire of hearing this," he whispered, stroking her harder until she cried out in pleasure, sagging against him.

"Oh gods," Valerie murmured, completely relaxed. Glorfindel almost jumped out of his skin when he felt her hand stroke his engorged elfhood that had been rubbing against her bottom. He had no idea that he had aroused her to the point where she wanted to reciprocate. It was unhoped for.

"My love, please stop if we will not finish. I need more, so much more," he stuttered without eloquence.

"Then please..."

"Please what?"

"Take me..."

It was like a dream come true. But did she truly want it? Was he pushing her too far? Phoebe's inelegant words came back to mind. _Fuck her already._ "Are you sure?"

"I know not. But... let us try. Just... try, Glorfindel."

Obviously, the rocks near the river were not the best location for this long awaited physical reunion. He stood and helped her stand to walk to the grassy area near the rocks. He put his cloak on the ground and helped her to lie on it. Her cloak was open, and he could see her in all her glory.

"You are so beautiful," he said out loud. She looked a bit panicked but bit her lips courageously. "Hurry, I am cold," she bravely stated, extending her hand in his direction.

He quickly removed his clothing, and towered above her. "It feels rushed. Maybe we should -"

"It will feel right," she promised him, but secretly hoping it would truly be the case. "Take me now, before I change my mind."

He knelt between her legs and covered her body with his, the familiar feeling of her curves against him coming back to mind. He aligned himself with her entrance. She was still wet, he could feel it on the head of his shaft. He entered her slowly, feeling inch after inch of her deliciously satiny core, feeling how her walls were so tight around him. He stopped when he was up to the hilt. Overwhelmed by his emotions, he broke down. He leaned his entire weight on her and hid his face against her neck.

Valerie had tensed when he had penetrated her, and had been grateful when he had proceeded slowly. Accommodating his impressive size was an alien feeling after so many years. But then, she had started to feel the wetness on her neck, and knew he was crying.

"I knew you could not overcome your disappointment, your disgust for me!" she cried.

"I am not disgusted!"

"Then what is wrong? Glorfindel?" she asked, uncertain. "Are you sad?"

"I am not sad," he eventually said once he had recovered enough of his self control. "I am overjoyed. Whatever happened to us, we will recover, I promise. And for now, I will make love to you for the next hours to come," he promised.

"It may be a little too cold for me," she warned him.

"Then I will bring you back to the manor. And our children will listen to us."

"How mortifying! I prefer to stay here and be cold!"

"You will not be cold!" he guaranteed, starting to thrust into her, wondering how he would make it last. It was too good, too unhoped-for for him to last very long. But luckily for him, Valerie was very, very responsive. Sauron's mist was gone from her memories, for good, he hoped. He kept asking her to keep her eyes open, to look at him, to stay with him during their act of love. He watched her breathing pick up, the flush of her skin, the arching of her back, and when she finally cried out in pleasure, he sent his fëa to connect with hers.

There was something there, something that didn't allow him to connect with Valerie's fëa despite his forceful attempt. He was deeply troubled, but the physical delight of being with Valerie once more sent him over the edge.

He lied on his back, looking at the sky and the clouds, and pulled her against him so she wouldn't see his dismay. Would he ever be able to fully claim his mate again? Would they be forever coupling like unbound lovers rather than like bonded fëa-mates?

* * *

A/N: With Valerie being rejected by the humans in Middle Earth, and Glorfindel unable to reestablish their bond fully, what choices are left ahead of them? I wanted to let you know there is about 4-5 chapters left to this story, but still much action will take place until the epilogue!

 **On another note, I should start posting the Thranduil ficlets soon. I hope you will enjoy those!**

Glassary: if Glorfindel cannot renew their bond while it had been so strong in the past, there is nothing that Gandalf would be able to do.

Princessnera: The humans now see Valerie as Sauron's former mate, and attacked as soon as she was alone without protection. At least, Thranduil and Phoebe took care of the problem for Estel…

Paperlanterns86: Valerie is now a little closer in character to Thranduil and Phoebe, as you will see in the next chapter. It was a good thing that the three of them were able to discuss this in private, to help her cope with the remaining darkness.

Maggie: the worst is passed now, things can only get better from this point on in the story… I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Aralinn: yes, that discussion with Thranduil will help Valerie understand her new self much better in the future. I like going deeper in Thranduil's psyche, he is such a complex character. I started writing some of the ficlets about Thranduil, I am having a lot of fun doing so!

B: thanks for writing me. Great to hear you have been following my stories since the beginning. Keep your eyes open for the Thranduil ficlets to come!


	28. Chapter 28 - Valinor

_Chapter 27 ended with:_

 _Glorfindel lied on his back, looking at the sky and the clouds, and pulled her against him so she wouldn't see his dismay. Would he ever be able to fully claim his mate again? Would they be forever coupling like unbound lovers rather than like bonded fëa-mates?_

The Valar:

Manwë King of the Valar and his wife Varda (Elbereth) Queen of the stars

Tulkas Champion of the Valar and his wife Nessa the Dancer (sister of Oromë)

Namo (Mandos) the Doomsman of the Valar and his wife Vairë the Weaver

Aulë the Smith and his wife Yavanna the Fruit-giver

Oromë the Huntsman and his wife Vana the Ever-young

Ulmo King of the Sea

Irmo Master of Dreams and his wife Estë, Healer of hurts and weariness

Nienna Lady of Pity and Mourning, sister of Namo and Irmo

* * *

 **Chapter 28 - Valinor**

Their children had been discreet when they had come back from the river. None of them had been in the hallways, although Glorfindel was sure they all were aware of the new development and that they were only waiting for a sign to come rejoice with them. Their children all assumed that the moment their parents would resume their sexual life, the bond would be reestablished and the darkness gone from her fëa.

They had remained in their apartment for most of the evening and the night. Unfortunately, Glorfindel was still captain of Imladris, and he needed to make a tour of the borders to ensure that the realm was protected against the small bands of orcs still roaming in Middle Earth.

He left Valerie half asleep, promising her that he would be back within three days. He had been planning to ask their children to keep an eye on her and entertain her to ensure she would not become melancholic again. As he came out of the apartment, he was surprised by the presence of their brood sitting in the hallway, some reading and some just dozing off.

He closed the door softly and watched them with a questioning look. "You could not wait for news in your own respective rooms? What will the servants say?"

"The servants will want to know how Naneth is doing just as much as we do," Gil-galad scowled.

"Did you renew your bond?" Nimrodel asked.

It was quite a personal topic, but there was no way getting around it. At least, Phoebe was not there to make it worse. "We were intimate. But I was not able to renew our bond."

There was a collective sigh of disappointment. They all wondered why it had not been possible, but knew that their adar would not have an answer for them. His grieving expression was self-explanatory.

"Are you still going to the borders?" Galadhon asked. "You are leaving Naneth alone?"

"I must. We have to get back to our normal routine. Which means you cannot overwhelm her with your constant attention while I am away. You must act exactly as you did before she disappeared."

"I think it would be best if you all go to the borders," Nimrodel said.

"Oh, and you will remain with Naneth?" Oropher asked, his tone sarcastic.

"I will go to the borders," Turgon said quietly. "Adar is right. We have to give her space. Let her come to us at her own time."

Slowly, all his brothers nodded, although Oropher did so reluctantly. They stood and left the hallway to get ready for a small journey. Nimrodel remained in front of Glorfindel.

"I never promised to give her space," she said after he had observed her pensively for a while. Of Valerie's daughters, Phoebe had always been the most deviant. Mithrellas had embodied sweetness. But Nimrodel? She was manipulative and knew how to get what she wanted.

"Take care of her then. I better not hear that you overwhelmed her."

"You will not!" She kissed him on the cheek, and in an unexpected move, she walked around him, opened the door to his apartment, entered and closed the door behind herself.

"What?" he mumbled. Through the door, he listened attentively to what was happening in the apartment, ready to intervene if Nimrodel was out of line. He heard the soft noise of bed sheets being moved, and the quiet whispers of feminine voices.

He turned around to join his sons, deciding not to let them know that Nimrodel was benefiting from a major head start in her re-acquaintance with their naneth.

OoOoO

Nimrodel had been aggravated to be left behind when her adar, Phoebe and her brothers had gone near Mordor to capture Valerie. She realized that she was no warrior, and that this mission had been very dangerous. The group had benefited from an enormous amount of luck and the support of the Valar during their mission. The fact that they had taken Valerie back to Lothlorien without any loss of life was a miracle by itself.

When they had received a note from Glorfindel announcing that Valerie was now safely in Lothlorien, she had wanted to leave Imladris immediately with Mithrellas and Allison. Lord Elrond had refused, waiting to hear if the fellowship would be successful or not in destroying Sauron. The lord had known immediately in his fëa that the darkness had been vanquished the minute it had happened. In the following days, they had started preparing for the journey to Lothlorien, before everyone would get together to travel to Gondor for Estel's coronation. They had had to wait for Arwen to recover from the beginning of her fading. Nimrodel always had loved Arwen, but had been very impatient for her recovery to be complete. One more week of delay and Nimrodel would have traveled alone through the Mountain Pass to join her naneth.

Seeing her for the first time had been a shock. Physically, Valerie had been similar, although her brothers had told her that her eyes had been those of a cat when they had reclaimed her. However mentally, she was a completely different person. Valerie had been taciturn, observing the people around her but rarely interacting with them. On the way to Gondor, she had ridden with Glorfindel and had started to speak to her children a bit more, but only of trivial matters. Nimrodel had tried to discuss her memories with Valerie, and tell her how she had missed her, but with very little success. When she had almost been killed by a mob in Gondor, and that they had decided to travel back to Imladris immediately, Nimrodel had decided not to stay with the rest of the party. Lord Elrond had wanted to stay for a few months with his daughter, and as a consequence, his sons and Allison had to remain in Minas Tirith. Since Legolas had vowed to stay with Estel, Mithrellas had also remained in the White City. Phoebe having elected to go back to Greenwood with Thranduil, Nimrodel knew that she would be Valerie's only daughter with her for months. This idea had pleased her greatly, although she was not so proud of her selfishness.

She entered her naneth's room slowly and saw that the boudoir was empty. She tiptoed to her parents' bedroom and looked inside. It was dark, and her mother was lying in bed.

"Nimrodel?" Valerie murmured.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

There was a pregnant pause. Nimrodel thought for a moment that Valerie would say no. She was about to turn around and leave the apartment when she heard: "Is there something wrong, Buttercup?"

Nimrodel could have cried from joy. Her mother remembered her childhood nickname. She was suddenly overcome with relief. She could not even speak, her throat was tied in a knot. She just let out a small whimper.

Valerie sat in her bed. "Come, Nimrodel," she said, opening her bedsheets for her daughter to lie beside her, like when she was a young elfling who needed her naneth's comfort.

Nimrodel walked to the bed and lied on her side to face her naneth. Valerie pulled the sheet above her daughter and looked at her expectantly.

"I missed you. Oh so much, Nana."

Valerie caressed her daughter's hair. "I am back, honey."

"Are you really? Back with us?"

"I am trying as hard as I can."

"But you are back with Adar, yes?" Nimrodel asked, although it was a rhetorical question. She could smell her adar's scent in the bed, the faint but familiar smell of her parents having been intimate during the night.

"Yes," Valerie confirmed, blushing.

"I am glad. He missed you so much."

"Tell me… how it was. All these years."

"My brothers were beyond themselves with guilt. Oropher canceled his departure to Valinor, swearing to remain in Middle Earth until we knew what had happened to you. Adar was actively looking for you with them in the mountains. They searched every cave, made maps of the tunnels, killed many orcs… I even went on site a few times, hoping that I would make a difference in the searches. It lasted for years. Our lives were on hiatus. Finding you was our priority, our only goal in life. We were supporting Ada… And then, he started being different. He was distracted, less attentive to his duties, although Lord Elrond never held it against him. Our lord was suffering also, reliving terrible memories of his mate's ordeal. Many times, he tried to convince us that there was no hope left, to stop the searches and move on. He thought you were in the Halls of Mandos. Ada kept saying you were alive… which was fueling my brothers' desire to keep searching for clues. Until Phoebe came here, bringing news that a creature, who had been imprisoned in Mordor prior to be held in Greenwood, was talking about a lady in Mordor. She was convinced it was you. This news arrived at the right time. I am not certain if Adar would not have lost some of his sanity if it had lasted any longer..."

Valerie remained silent, absorbing the information.

"I know I cannot even begin to imagine what happened to you while you were held captive. My siblings mentioned a few things, but only vague information. If you wish to confide in anyone, Nana… I swear to you I will not judge you or tell anyone what you will tell me."

"Thank you."

Nimrodel waited for her naneth to speak, but Valerie didn't say anything. Obviously, she was not ready to confide in her. "Do you want to take a bath?" she asked, changing the subject for safer and more familiar grounds.

"Yes, I would like that. But do not ask the servants to bring water yet, I want to stay here, with you a little longer. It feels… peaceful."

Nimrodel smiled. "Do you want me to read for you? I have your favorite book of poems in the boudoir."

"I like poems?"

Nimrodel was a little stunned by the question. "Do you not like poetry anymore?"

"I am not certain. Would you… would you sing for me? I so love the melodious voice of an elf singing. I missed it dreadfully."

"All right." Nimrodel started singing a ballad about a courageous elf looking for his love who had disappeared.

Valerie cried during the song, and used a corner of the sheet to wipe her tears. "I cannot believe they wrote a song about my disappearance and how your father looked for me," she murmured once Nimrodel was done.

"Nana… This song is about me."

Valerie stared at her daughter, and Nimrodel saw the memory surface in her mother's mind. Her naneth would really need time to become herself again. But she would be there with her.

"I am ashamed. I had forgotten..."

"Worry not. I love you."

Valerie took her hand and kissed it.

OoOoO

 _Imladris_

 _Summer of the Year 3021 of the Third Age_

 _2 years later_

"You are back earlier than I expected," Valerie told Glorfindel, who had joined her on the balcony of their apartment. He had told her he would spend the entire afternoon with Lord Elrond and Erestor.

Her mate sat beside her, looking pensively at the nearest waterfalls. She knew that he had some important information to share with her when he seemed so pensive after a meeting with his lord. A few years ago, she would have interrogated him until she had gotten all the information out of him. She had used threats, cajoling, negotiation as a way of obtaining the information she had wanted. That had been her past self. Nowadays, she was more reserved, more prudent, still not very comfortable with her mate. She was more patient also, and wanted to let him share whatever he wished to share at his own pace, and in the level of details of his own choosing.

It was her choice to keep things that way between them. She felt different. That darkness inside her was always present, making an appearance on a regular basis. Sudden and overpowering need to lash out at people, to tell them offensive remarks simply because she was unhappy about something. Desire of making people suffer when they displeased her. She had unfortunately not always resisted, and she had slapped Glorfindel or her sons quite a few times since her return to Imladris. This was unprecedented behavior in a peaceful race. Only Thranduil and Phoebe were known for displaying such distasteful traits of character.

As a consequence, people were walking on eggshells around her, and she herself made sure to keep her interactions with people outside of her family to a minimal level. Her relationship with Glorfindel was going through ups and downs, and he was going at the border quite frequently, in fact, more than it was necessary. Valerie understood how difficult it was to be around her. Furthermore, he was plagued with nightmares once more, and she was of no help in the matter since they had never been able to renew their bond. They were intimate once in a while, but Glorfindel was no longer attempting to connect his fëa with hers after a few attempts in the first year of her return.

"Our lord received a missive from Lady Galadriel," Glorfindel suddenly told her.

A few moments passed in silence. Valerie wondered if he would share more with her or not. A missive from the Lady of Light was not so rare that it would render Glorfindel speechless like this.

"Is she well?" she inquired, wondering if an innocuous question would help him open up.

"No, she is not. She feels the waning of her powers. It is taking a great toll on her health."

"I am sorry to hear this."

Glorfindel kept watching the waterfalls.

"I went for a ride earlier today with Oropher and Turgon. It was a beautiful morning."

"I am glad you enjoyed your day."

"Nimrodel wants to organize a family dinner later this week. She wondered if you would prefer-"

"She wants to sail."

"Nimrodel?" Valerie's heart froze. Nimrodel and her had been very close in the past two years. She had spent countless hours with her mother, reforging a mother-daughter bond that had been severely damaged by her captivity. She did not want to lose her. Nimrodel was the only one who was spared Valerie's anger, because she managed to always give her everything she wanted.

"I meant Lady Galadriel. Lord Celeborn wishes to remain here longer."

Valerie was so relieved that she did not immediately understand the consequences of that.

"When is she leaving?"

"As soon as Lord Elrond is ready to go."

"Lord Elrond wants to sail now?"

"Yes. His mate is waiting for him in Valinor, and he wants to escort his mother-in-law."

"But Arwen..."

"Arwen will more than likely live many more decades. They cannot linger here any longer. The time of separation has arrived. Lord Elrond will send Arwen a message today to inform her of his decision."

"She will be very sad. You think she will do the journey to Imladris to see him once more?"

"It is not likely. She is queen now, with all the duties of a queen. No, when Lord Elrond left Gondor two years ago, it was their last farewell in person."

"How sad," Valerie said pensively, thinking of her friend who had chosen mortality. She hoped that Arwen had never regretted her choice.

"You should write to Mithrellas. And to Phoebe."

"Why? I wrote them each a letter not even a month ago."

He turned to look at her and took her hands in his. He caressed her palms gently, and she closed her eyes to savor the tender gesture. "Because we are sailing with him. You must tell them and see if they will make the journey to see us one last time."

"We are leaving?" she asked, staring at him with an uncertain look.

"Yes," he confirmed. "In a few months, we will journey to the Gray Havens and sail to Valinor."

Valerie pulled her hands out of his. They had spoken of sailing once in a while, mainly during discussions about how her arrival in the land of peace would certainly help her fully recover from her traumatic captivity. She had been both thrilled with the idea, and saddened as well, as she knew that not all her children would sail at the same time. This would mean separating from some of them, maybe for centuries.

"Who would be coming with us?" She already knew that Phoebe and Mithrellas would remain in Middle Earth with their mates. Aranel, her granddaughter, would remain in Greenwood with her parents while Mithrellas and Legolas didn't have a child yet. More than likely, Allison and her son Elrinor would remain in Imladris with Elrohir, who would become the Captain of the guard in replacement of Glorfindel, while Elladan, as the firstborn son, would become the Lord of Imladris.

"It seems that most of our children will sail with us. Nimrodel is certain to sail, and so are Oropher and Turgon. Gil-galad is still ambivalent but I believe he will sail too. He constantly talks about your health, I believe he will want to see you cured and follow us to ensure you are well once in Valinor."

"Galadhon?"

"He is wondering if he will remain here with his son Celeborn, or sail with us."

"Glorfindel, I do not like the idea of being separated from my children. Especially if there is an ocean between us. We already have lost Adam, I do not wish to lose another one. Please do what you have to do to convince as many of them as possible to sail with us," she pleaded ardently.

"I will see what I can do," he answered, knowing that he would only have to tell them that Valerie wanted to sail with them all, for most of them to actually follow. It could be called manipulation, but he was no longer beyond such tactics.

"I missed you this morning," she murmured with a small smile. "I wanted to be with you after… after what we did last night."

It had been a great evening indeed. Valerie had rarely been so passionate in the recent years, a nice change from her usual passive submission to his desires. And hearing her saying she missed him almost sounded like a declaration of love.

"You want to get back in the apartment?" he suggested, half-hoping that she would be interested in more romantic activities.

She blushed, but pulled on his hand until he stood and followed her in their apartment. No one saw them until the next morning.

OoOoO

They were on the quays of the Grey Havens, where a massive ship was waiting for the last passengers. Mithrandir was already on board with Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Lady Galadriel was sadly saying her goodbyes to her grandsons while her mate was standing beside them, waiting to give her a final kiss before she boarded the ship.

Mithrellas and Phoebe had made the journey to Imladris, but not to the Grey Havens. Valerie had said her farewells to her daughters in Imladris before they went back to their realms. Phoebe had promised to sail within the next two decades. Mithrellas had not been able to make such a promise. Legolas had seemed quite shamed when Valerie had remarked that Mithrellas should have had a say in the decision of remaining near Gondor until Estel passed away.

Valerie had cried for many days the loss of her daughters as they were journeying towards the Grey Havens, but she was vastly reassured to see that all of their sons without exception were sailing with them. She had no idea what Glorfindel had told them, but she was very grateful to him to have successfully kept their family mostly united.

Valerie embraced Allison in a long hug, knowing she would miss her but that Allison would be happy in Imladris for many more decades to come. She said her farewells to Elrohir, Elrinor and Elladan, and without a look back, walked in the direction of the ship.

"She was more than ready to go," Oropher said as he grabbed his uncles for one last friendly hug.

"I hope that she will heal with the help of the Valar," Elladan replied.

"As I am sure that your own naneth has fully recovered too."

After all the family was done with their farewells, Lord Elrond gently pulled Lady Galadriel towards the ship. Glorfindel's family followed them, along with Haldir, the Marchwarden of Lothlorien.

Valerie waved at those still on the quay, crying, no one being sure if they were tears of sadness or joy. It was a bittersweet moment.

OoOoO

The sailors were very experimented, in Valerie's opinion, to maneuver so fast around the treacherous rocks near the port of Alqualonde. Soon, the ship was at quay and the gangway was swiftly installed. Passengers, tired after more than a month of traveling, were almost running off the ship to see their awaiting families.

Valerie was not expecting to see anyone she already knew. She was eager to finally meet Lady Celebrian and Queen Tialyn, Oropher's wife. Tialyn had sailed a few years after Oropher had been killed in the battle of Dagorlad. She had had the courage to remain in Greenwood with Thranduil, to show him how to rule the realm during his first years as king.

Galadhon's mate Malrin had also sailed after the passing of her husband.

She hoped for Glorfindel that his friend Ecthelion had been reborn by now. Nimrodel and Turgon were also hoping that their fëa-mate had been reborn, but none was speaking about it openly. They may be pleased, or disappointed. She would be with them should they have to keep suffering from loneliness for many more decades to come. Turgon's mate Elenwë, who had not survived the crossing between Valinor and Middle Earth in the First Age, may have been reborn by now. Nimrodel was hoping that King Amroth had been reborn too. They had not been married but had been promised to each other. Would their love still hold true after this long separation?

Ereinion Gil-galad, unmarried, had no expectations whatsoever. He was not planning to actively look for a mate once they arrived. He wanted to see his first parents again, like all his brothers and sister, but was not too worried about the reunions to come.

Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond were still on the ship, letting the impatient passengers disembark first. Nimrodel was clinging to Valerie, too nervous to even look on the quay to see if her former lover was waiting for her. Her brothers were teasing her while looking for people they knew, when Glorfindel suddenly froze beside them.

"What is the matter, Glorfindel?" Valerie asked, following the gaze of her mate. He was staring at two very tall elves who were standing apart from the crowd, theirs arms crossed and a serious expression on their very handsome faces. Their skin was glowing under the sun, something Valerie had never seen before. But the scariest thing was – they were watching her intently.

Glorfindel pulled her against his side while their sons encircled them warily.

"What do they want?" Oropher questioned out loud.

"Who are they? Why are they watching me like this?" Valerie whispered to her mate, trying to catch his attention, but he kept staring at the two strange ellyn without answering her question.

"Naneth, these are two Valar," Turgon informed her. "More specifically, Lord Tulkas, Champion of the Valar, and Lord Aulë, the Smith. They are the two strongest Valar."

"As if we would put up a fight," Gil-galad murmured.

"Are we not going to?" Oropher asked.

"No, we will not," Glorfindel stated firmly. "I am certain that they will not hurt anyone."

"What is going on?" Valerie demanded to know. "Who wants to hurt whom?"

Glorfindel turned her to face him. "My love, we believe that they are here for you."

"For me? Why? I have not even set foot on the land yet-" She suddenly stopped, understanding what this was about. The Valar knew that she still carried a little piece of Sauron in her fëa. That little piece that didn't allow her to be herself completely, that created dark, unhappy thoughts in her head even when she was supposed to live happy moments. That little piece that was only waiting for her to be with child to be reborn and create havoc in Valinor.

"They will not hurt you, I will not allow them to," Lady Galadriel said, suddenly beside her with Lord Elrond.

"Will they not even let my children be reunited with their family before taking me away?" Valerie whispered, on the verge of tears. "Now that I have served my purpose..."

"Do not say that!" Galadhon forcefully said. "We may be seeing our first families here today, but you are as much my naneth as my first one. I will not leave you in the hands of the Valar as if I did not care for you!"

"I will not either. Wherever they are taking you, I am going too," Oropher stated. His brothers and even Nimrodel nodded.

At this point, only the sailors and the Imladris people were still on the ship. The Valar were showing signs of impatience. The crowd was remaining on the quay, curious to see what the Valar would do, or because they were actually waiting for the Imladris people to disembark to be reunited with them.

"We have to go," Glorfindel decided once he saw the Vala Tulkas frowning openly in their direction. He took Valerie's arm while Nimrodel was still on her other side. Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond were walking in front of them with Oropher and Turgon, while Galadhon and Gil-galad were following behind.

None of them looked at their mates or family as they walked in the direction of the two Valar. The group stopped a few feet away from the lords.

"Welcome to Valinor," Lord Aulë told them.

"Are we truly welcome here?" Lord Elrond asked.

"Yes, you personally are," Lord Tulkas replied with little patience. "But Lady Valerie of the Golden Flower must follow us."

Valerie blanched. What did these living gods wanted to do with her?

"What will you do with her?" Oropher inquired forcefully, wondering the same thing. Glorfindel put his hand on his son's arm to remind him who he was speaking to.

"I see that your second father remembers how a Vala must be addressed," Lord Aulë stated. "We will not tolerate disrespect to our persons."

"I apologize for my family," Glorfindel said, bowing deeply. "We all are extremely worried about the welcome my mate is receiving. We are aware… of her particular circumstances and we were seeking your help in order to heal her."

"Your mate will come to not harm, Glorfindel of the Golden Flower. Killing your mate would be a poor reward for the mission that you have accomplished in Middle Earth on our behalf."

"I never imagined that this was your intent!"

"But some of your sons did… and so was your mate," Lord Tulkas said. "Do not be afraid, child, we will bring you to our council so we can discuss how to heal you."

"Lady Galadriel already tried..." Valerie murmured.

"And she helped greatly, we saw that," the Vala acknowledged by smiling to the Lady of Light. "But only a Vala, and a strong one, can handle him."

"I trained Sauron when he was still called Mairon, I showed him all the secrets of my craft," Aulë the Smith revealed. "And see what he used it for? Now it is up to me to get rid of his threat for good."

"We will leave immediately for Valmar. We do not have horses for all of you. Only your parents will come with us for now."

Her sons were about to protest, but Glorfindel lifted his hand and they all went silent. "Please go see your first families. You know where we will be if you wish to have news."

"We will follow you," Gil-galad promised.

"I am not leaving my naneth!" Nimrodel stated firmly, defying the Valar. "I will not be separated from her."

"We expected it, with your past history… We have a horse for you too, Lady Nimrodel. Please follow us now."

Valerie barely had time to hug her sons before she was pulled by Glorfindel in the direction that the Valar had taken, Nimrodel following closely.

"Do not worry, Nana, they will not hurt you."

"How far away is Valmar?" Valerie asked.

"Two days away."

"Two days? We will ride for two days?"

Glorfindel hushed her. "We would ride a month if the Valar asked it of us. They are the gods of the elves," he reminded her. "Whatever they ask, we obey. We do not have a choice."

He helped her mount on a beautiful mare, helped Nimrodel and swiftly mounted the stallion the Valar had reserved for him. Asfaloth was still in the hold of the ship. Lord Tulkas turned around and started riding south. They following him without any further discussions.

OoOoO

The room she had been introduced in was spacious. It had many large windows that allowed the sun rays to lighten it up, with heavy curtains in richly embroidered fabrics. Every portion of wall was covered in beautiful tapestries, representing moments of elven history. She had observed one of them attentively before a throat clearing told her she was testing the patience of the lords who had entered the room with her.

Glorfindel and Nimrodel had not been allowed to stay with her, and were both waiting in the next room. She originally had refused to leave them but Lord Aulë had been clear that she had no say in the matter. The Valar had told Glorfindel that he needed to trust them, that they would try to keep Valerie safe as much as they could. Small reassurances that had not comforted her mate and her daughter, far from it. Before she was pulled into the vast room, Glorfindel and Nimrodel had hugged her desperately.

Lord Tulkas made a gesture for her to walk in the direction of the thrones at the end of the room. Most of these thrones were empty, and only males were sitting on them. Valerie wondered where the female Valar were, she would have felt much safer if there had been people of her own gender in the room, even if they were gods while she merely was a half-elf.

"You are right, we preferred to deal with this without our wifes and sisters," Lord Tulkas told her after reading her mind.

"What are you going to do with me?" she whispered, terror slowly building in her heart.

"Come, we will discuss it with you."

They walked closer to the thrones and the four gods who had been sitting stood in front of her. The other lords went to join them. She now faced six beautiful and intimidating beings who were staring at her with guarded expressions. It was clear that they considered her a sort of threat, but not one that needed immediate and forceful action. She knew, looking at them, that she would be dead by now if they had thought she was bringing uncontrollable evil in the Undying Lands.

She remembered the books she had read about the Valar. She knew all the elves believed in them, but she had not truly adopted this religion of theirs. It simply seemed too strange that gods would be living amongst the elves and to be honest with herself, she had been a little skeptic about this all. But now that she was standing in front of them, there was no denying that all of them had a powerful aura. Lord Tulkas and Lord Aulë, although obviously very powerful physically, were less awe-inspiring than the other Valar. It may have been the reason why they had been sent to escort her from Alqualondë.

She quickly identified Lord Namo, Doomsman of the Valar, by his dark clothing and his stern expression. The next two were fairly easy: Lord Oromë the Huntsman had his bow leaning against his throne while Lord Ulmo, King of the Sea, was holding his trident. The last one had to be Irmo, Master of dreams.

They were all watching her attentively, with a touch of suspicion, as if she could attack them at any moment. Lord Namo put his hand on the hilt of his sword, while Lord Ulmo moved his trident in front of him. Instead of frightening her, their show of power somehow angered her. How could they try to scare her like this? Was she not a simple elleth, unarmed, facing six Valar no less? She was being treated like a threat while they could get rid of her quite easily and in all impunity.

Normally, she would have kept her thoughts to herself, but she knew they could read her like an open book. Something inside her snapped.

"Is this the usual welcome committee for all the elves arriving, or is this treatment reserved only to the half-elves?" she asked insolently.

"Elves usually do not bring... unwelcomed guests with them," Lord Irmo said gently, choosing to ignore her cheekiness.

"So I am an unwelcomed guest?"

"Not you exactly. However, that little part of Mairon that you carry is a problem we need to talk about," Lord Aulë added. She turned to him. He had not really spoken during their journey, but she had gotten used to him. "He was my former Maiar," he continued, "and as such, he is for me to take care of."

"And how do you plan to do that?" she asked. Would they actually hurt her? Kill her? She wondered if she could reach the door before they caught her. Glorfindel would protect her, he would not let them touch a hair on her head.

"Contrary to what you think, we mean you no harm. At least, not on purpose," the Vala continued.

"That does not reassure me at all," she murmured. "I want to see my mate."

"Unfortunately, he is gone. The Valier convinced him and your daughter to go to a nearby inn to wait for you."

"I do not believe you." She looked at them all. Some were looking at her suspiciously still, others with pity. "I do not believe you!" she yelled this time. "Glorfindel would never leave me alone! You are lying!"

"Stop accusing us of lying, impertinent elleth!" Lord Namo thundered, approaching threateningly.

"There is no need for this," Lord Irmo said, putting his arm in front of Lord Namo to stop his movement. "You know why she reacts like this. We can all feel him in her. This is not her fault." He turned to her. "Child, the queens can be… very persuasive. Rest assured that your mate did not have a choice. You will be returned to him, dear Valerie. But only once your fëa is yours and only yours..."

"What will you do to me?" she asked, walking backwards toward the door.

"Aulë? Do what you have to do."

The Smith of the Valar started walking in her direction while the others followed behind, their weapons ready. The last thing she remembered was Lord Aulë putting his hand on her forehead and feeling as if her head was about to explode.

* * *

A/N: Valerie is finally being healed by the Valar, she will soon be able to resume her life fully.

 **Do not miss the posting of the first Thranduil ficlet, it was posted just now on my profile. Hope you will enjoy these short chapters describing the potential life of Valerie and Thranduil as a couple!**

Glassary: thank you for your nice reviews. The Thranduil story is starting, let me know what you think!

Princessnera: Valerie will be cured, and Glorfindel and her will find happiness back…

Shetan20: thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate them.

Paperlanterns86: they will heal her, they are stronger than that little part of Sauron left in Valerie…

Maggie: yes, I also love Phoebe and Thranduil a lot. I hope you will like the Valerie-Thranduil pairing, although Valerie will not be as violent as Phoebe can be… But I believe they will be entertaining!

Aralinn: Unfortunately, she never saw Aragorn in person again since only the Valar will be able to cure her from the darkness Sauron left behind. Thank you for your compliments! Don't miss the Thranduil ficlets - I posted the first one today.


	29. Chapter 29 - Coming home

_Chapter 28 ended with:_

" _Aulë? Do what you have to do."_

 _The Smith of the Valar started walking in her direction while the others followed behind, their weapons ready. The last thing she remembered was Lord Aulë putting his hand on her forehead and feeling as if her head was about to explode._

* * *

The Valar:

Manwë King of the Valar and his wife Varda (Elbereth) Queen of the stars

Tulkas Champion of the Valar and his wife Nessa the Dancer (sister of Oromë)

Namo (Mandos) the Doomsman of the Valar and his wife Vairë the Weaver

Aulë the Smith and his wife Yavanna the Fruit-giver

Oromë the Huntsman and his wife Vana the Ever-young

Ulmo King of the Sea

Irmo Master of Dreams and his wife Estë, Healer of hurts and weariness

Nienna Lady of Pity and Mourning, sister of Namo and Irmo

Some characters living in Valinor:

Lithil, first mother of Oropher

Tialyn, mate of Oropher and mother of Thranduil

Bereth, first wife of Thranduil and mother of Legolas

Elenwë, mate of Turgon

Malrin, mate of Galadhon

* * *

 **Chapter 29 – Coming home**

"She has been gone for more than a day now. I cannot believe I left her alone there!" Glorfindel raged in front of his children. They had rarely been witnesses to their adar showing his displeasure in such a vocal way.

The entire family had made the journey to Valmar and was now in the main room of the inn.

"They did not give us a choice," Nimrodel reminded him. "The Valier's request was irresistible. I think they had been controlling our will. I never experienced such a thing before. I suddenly wanted to leave their palace, as if I had something extremely urgent to attend to. You felt the same."

Galadhon entered the common room at that moment, frowning upon hearing his sister's words.

"I went to Lord Tulkas' palace, as we had agreed this morning. I tried to get some news. The palace is shut down for all visitors. A servant was kind enough to inform me that Naneth would arrive later tonight. They are… done, apparently. Whatever was done to her."

"What have they done to her?" Glorfindel asked, livid.

"Adar, I have no idea. The servant did not give me any details," Galadhon groaned. "She simply told me that Naneth was doing well, that she is resting."

"You could have said so earlier," Nimrodel chastised him, putting a comforting hand on her father's back. "Ada, you should go to your room, try to rest a little until Naneth comes back. She may want to leave as soon as she arrives."

"Where will you go?" Oropher asked. "Celebrian currently lives in Tirion, and Elrond is planning to go there for a little while. However, he told me that he is not certain that he wishes to stay in that city on a permanent basis. He seems to be expecting that you will live with him as his captain, even more so if he will establish a new realm similar to Imladris."

"What else would you want me to do?" Glorfindel asked. "I have been serving him for my entire second life."

"Your mission was to protect Elrond and his family until he sailed," Gil-galad replied as delicately as he could. "Correct me if I am wrong, but the Valar would consider, as all of us do, that your service is over."

All around the room, Glorfindel's children nodded.

"You can remain at his service if you wish so. It may no longer be an obligation," the High King added.

Glorfindel sat down. "Your naneth and I have not discussed this. She was afraid to be unwelcome, and she was not wrong."

"It was temporary," Galadhon interrupted. "I understood from the servant that precautions had to be taken since she had still some remaining side effects from her captivity. If the Valar took care of the problem, she will be free to do whatever she wants."

"What are your plans?" their father asked.

"I cannot hide that I am extremely disappointed that Amroth is not reborn yet. I had hoped… but I will have to accept Lord Namo's decision and wait," Nimrodel said sadly.

Oropher took her hand. "Nimrodel, you will always be welcome to Greenwood. Tialyn tells me great things about the realm." He smiled at his mate, who was sitting beside him. Their interactions were still slightly awkward. Their reunion should have been more romantic, they should have had some time alone to themselves, but they had both wanted to follow the rest of the family to Valmar to wait for Valerie.

"I am certain that you would like living with us," Tialyn told the reborn sister of her mate. "Half the town is in the trees, very similar to Lothlorien. Other elves have built houses on the ground, usually those who have lived for centuries in Thranduil's caves."

"Speaking of Thranduil, I would gladly accept your invitation, but what about that little problem that we have?" Nimrodel asked.

"Phoebe is Thranduil's wife and queen," Turgon said forcefully.

"No one here disputes that," Oropher replied.

"I am sorry, this is partially my fault," Tialyn said. "When Bereth was reborn, I assumed that she would still be Thranduil's queen. She is, after all, Legolas' naneth. I never imagined that my son would find his true fëa-mate. I should have known that her death in Middle Earth would break their bond and that Thranduil would not desire to marry her again."

"No one blames you," her mate reassured her.

"Now, she considers herself the queen. We will have to go back home, and let her know that she is no longer Thranduil's queen."

"Did she not hear about Phoebe by the people from Greenwood in Middle Earth, those who sailed in the past decades?" Gil-galad asked.

Tialyn winced. "I admit we had heard about her. Bereth claimed she would appeal to the Valar in order to keep her rank. I preferred to avoid a confrontation and wait for either Oropher or Thranduil himself to sail to clarify the situation."

"I cannot live in a realm where my sister is not considered queen, as her right is," Nimrodel said. "I am sorry. Our family… we support each other. Even if we are not blood brothers and sisters. Phoebe will always have priority on this elleth, in my heart and in my mind."

"It is the same for me," Oropher reinforced to all. "I wish Thranduil was here to clean up his mess, but I cannot wait until he sails to clear that situation. After all, I am the one who had pushed my son to marry her. I will have to speak to Bereth and ensure that Phoebe will be recognized as the one and only mate of Thranduil."

"For my part, many Noldo are expecting me to live in Valmar or in Tirion," Gil-galad explained. "My parents, whom I have only been with for a few hours, are expecting the same. But wherever I live, I am planning to visit Greenwood and whatever realm you will move to, Adar."

"Same for me," Turgon said. "Elenwë went back home in Tirion, and I wish to join her again for a few months. We will consider traveling to visit all of you soon after… we are reacquainted with each other."

Galadhon nodded to approve the plan. His mate Malrin was at their home in Tirion too.

Of all the mates of ellyn, only Tialyn had made the journey to Valmar. The mates of Galadhon and Turgon had preferred to remain with their families, awaiting their spouses to come back after their second mother was released by the Valar. Both ellith had not wanted to ride without stop to Valmar with all these unknown people. Galadhon and Turgon had promised to ride back home as soon as possible to enjoy some private time with their mates.

"Your naneth will be unhappy that the entire family will not be living together anymore," Glorfindel darkly commented.

"Yes, she will be. You probably should travel and visit us frequently," Oropher proposed. "Naneth always liked to travel in Middle Earth."

"That was before her captivity," Turgon murmured.

"Let us hope that she will be back to her normal self and start traveling again," Nimrodel said. "Otherwise, we will go to her. Adar, I really wish that you went upstairs to rest. We will wait for Naneth."

Glorfindel nodded and stood. "Let me know as soon as she arrives."

His children and Tialyn remained in the room silently.

"I will take a walk, I cannot remain here, doing nothing," Gil-galad said.

"Need some company?" Oropher asked.

"No, stay with your mate. Maybe you should go to your room too," his brother replied suggestively.

Tialyn blushed but laughed too. "I agree!" She stood and pulled on her mate's hand.

OoOoO

What the Valar and Lord Aulë in particular had done to her was unclear to Valerie. One minute she had been standing in front of them, and the next, she had woken in a sumptuous room with the most magnificent being she had ever seen at her bedside. An entire day had apparently passed between these memories.

The Valier who had been waiting for her to wake was Nessa the Dancer, wife of the Vala Tulkas. If Valerie had thought that Arwen was of incomparable beauty, the queen Nessa was simply beyond words. Awed, she had stared at the Valier, noting the refinement of her facial features, the abundant and shiny long golden hair, the light that glowed through her skin, the indisputable perfection of her body. But what stood out was the kindness expressed by her eyes and by her perfect, gentle smile.

"Thank you," the Valier had said with her melodious voice, proving that she had read Valerie's appraisal of her appearance directly in her mind.

Valerie had attempted to stand but the queen had firmly pushed her so she would lie down again.

"Do not attempt to rise immediately. I am certain that your body still requires some time to recover."

"What have they done to me?" she had whispered.

"Nothing that was not absolutely necessary."

"He hurt me… that is all I can recall."

"I know. But it was for your own good. Do you not feel different now?"

"Different? What do you mean?" Valerie had touched her ears, almost afraid that the Valar had brought her back to her original human state. Thankfully, she had felt the now familiar pointy shape of her ears, and had looked at the Valier questioningly.

"Did you really believe that we would have removed your immortality after the great service you did all of us?" Lady Nessa had asked, frowning. "I was merely talking about that little piece of Sauron that you were carrying inside of you. Aulë pulled it from your fëa, and destroyed it under the attentive watch of the others. We are now assured that Mairon will never come back under any form. My lord Tulkas will finally be at peace. He despised him and has wanted his destruction for longer than you can imagine."

"He is gone? For good?"

Valerie had analyzed how she truly felt as she was waking up. There had been this… absence of aggressiveness. This hostility that had made her lash at her family at every little vexation since she had come back home.

"It is gone… my anger, my aggressiveness!"

"Yes, your anger is gone. But your aggressiveness? You never stroke us as an elleth with a mild nature," the queen had said with a smile.

"You know me?"

"Do we know you? We chose you!" At Valerie's puzzled expression, the Valier had continued. "We have always known what was happening in Middle Earth despite the fact that a sea separates both regions. At the time, Imladris had not been founded yet, and Elrond Eärendilion was a member of High King Gil-galad's court. We knew Elrond was key to the future of Middle Earth, and that he needed a champion to protect and guide him through the ages as the destiny of Middle Earth unfolded. We had to find the bravest of elven warriors, and found him in the Halls of Mandos. Namo accepted to release him and Glorfindel was reembodied under the condition that he would dedicate his second life to the protection of Elrond and his family. We gave him a few powers at the time, outstanding strength, both mental and physical, healing powers, the ability to resist and fight the purest of evil – did he ever tell you how the Witch-king of Angmar fled in front of him at the battle of Fornost?"

"I had heard about it, but not through him. Glorfindel is very secretive about his exploits."

"Like a true hero," the queen said with satisfaction. "A true champion does not need to boast about his accomplishments."

"Even if they leave him with terrifying nightmares tormenting him for millennia?" Valerie could not help but find that the Valier showed little empathy for the hero who had been sacrificed to fight evil in Middle Earth.

"I knew you had not lost your spirit! Dear Valerie, do not be upset with us. Some sacrifices must be made for the greater good, and some people accept to bear a heavier burden in order to help their people. Glorfindel was one of them. He chose his second destiny in full knowledge of the facts. He sailed back to Middle Earth a few decades before the battle of Dagorlad, where your reborn sons Ereinion Gil-galad and Oropher lost their first lives."

The queen had stood and walked to the tall window in the room, looking outside as the sun set. "It soon became apparent that the races of Middle Earth would not unite without some help, even the various elven races. Without this, there was no hope to definitively defeat Sauron. We looked for solutions, thought of sending more champions, but it was the Valier who came up with the solution, something that no male, even if they are a Vala, would have come up with. We decided to reembody many elven heroes dear to their people, and have them reborn into one single place, forcing all races to unite. Selecting the heroes, your children, was fairly easy. The Halls of Mandos were full of fëar awaiting their rebirth. Finding their future naneth was a more difficult challenge. Choosing her in any elven realm would have created tensions with the other realms. So we eventually decided to look into a completely different world, eliminating the possibility of a war between the realms because of the race of the naneth of the reborn elves. We found you."

"Why me?"

"Why not? Do you not see the abundance of qualities that you have?"

"You forget my many faults!"

"Between your qualities and faults, you were exactly what we were looking for. A prophecy was sent, images sent to Galadriel in her mirror and voilà! They went and got you."

The queen had turned to face Valerie. "We were a little puzzled by how Mithrandir and Elrond acted. After all, there could have been many different ways of sending for you, most more gentle and diplomatic. There were also three ellyn who could have mated with you. Your destiny would have been mind-blowing in all three cases. You would have been happy."

"Did I choose the one I was supposed to?"

"As I said, you could have chosen any of the three. Prince Legolas Thranduilion and Haldir of Lothlorien would have been wise choices. Glorfindel was also a great one. We had agreed that we would let you choose. You had had no choice to come to Middle Earth – we allowed you to select who you would spend your life with. Many of us had our favorite, and your choice of Glorfindel disappointed some of us. I was one of those who thought that Glorfindel deserved happiness after all he was doing for us. This happiness, he found it with you."

"I caused him more worry than joy in the past years."

"It was not your fault. What happened to you helped bring them together and because of this, it was worth it. I know you are one of those who accept to sacrifice themselves for the greater good."

Valerie had nodded. She had known the queen was right. "Will I ever forget?"

"No, you will not. But the memories will become less clear, the pain will lessen… This is the time for a new beginning for Glorfindel and you. His mission is over, his oath is fulfilled, please do tell him. We are very pleased with him, and he will be rewarded. From now on, both of you can do whatever you choose. The Valar will no longer interfere in your lives."

"Does that mean that I am free to go?"

"Yes, you are. Your family is waiting for you. A servant will bring you to the inn where we sent your mate and your daughter. Have a good life, Valerie Thompson, Lady of the Golden Flower."

The Valier had been about to leave the room when Valerie had called her back.

"Wait! One more question, if you please?"

"Yes?"

"My son Adam… Please tell me if his fëa is in the Halls of Mandos! I want to know if I will ever see him again, or if he is lost to me forever?"

"Why would he not be in Mandos?" Nessa the Dancer had smiled sweetly. "Do not worry, dear child, your son will be given back to you." She had turned around and had left the room.

And so Valerie was now currently standing in front of the inn where her family was staying, waiting in the shadows between the lanterns at the top of the posts in the street. She did not know why she had not immediately entered the inn once Queen Nessa's servant had left. She should have just entered and celebrated with her family. But she was nervous. What would their lives be from now on? Would her life with Glorfindel finally resume and go back to what it was before she had been abducted?

"Naneth!" a voice whispered in her ear while a strong pair of arms were wrapped around her body.

She did not even have to look, she knew Gil-galad was behind her.

"Hello, _ion nin_. What are you doing outside? It is rather late at night to be wandering in the streets."

"The streets are very secure in Valmar. This is not Gondor! But you are right, I had decided to go back to Lord Tulkas' palace when I saw you with one of their servants. You can imagine my surprise when I saw you hide in the shadows instead of entering the inn… I wondered why my naneth would be shy with her own family?"

"Am I still your naneth?" she whispered, voicing one of her biggest concerns. "Now that your real one is here..."

"Do not say silly things, it does not become you, such a clever elleth. People can have two sets of parents!"

"Can they now?" she asked doubtfully.

"Of course!"

"On what basis are you saying this? There are no other cases in all elven history! We are more than adoptive parents, and less than biological parents. When did this happen before?"

"Stop looking at this with pure logic. This is not a matter of brains, it is a matter of heart. And if you had heard our conversation earlier this evening, you would have no doubt that all your children truly belong to you. Discussions about where you would live, who would live with you, the frequency of our visits… If I were you, I would be more concerned about having no privacy with my mate."

She chuckled nervously, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thank you, _ion nin_."

"Are you… fine? I mean..."

"Yes, that piece of him is gone," she interrupted.

"Then… why are you here, with me, instead of being with my adar?"

"I must admit that I am nervous. Queen Nessa confirmed that his oath is fulfilled. He is no longer bound to Lord Elrond. And I am free from Sauron's influence. This is… a blank page ahead of us. What if… our relationship is not as strong as before? If we have no common goal?"

"You are being ridiculous. Your love is strong and true. You will find new goals, new interests. Live in peace, help the other recover from the traumatizing events of your lives. Have more babies, do not deny it, I know you want to give him a child. And maybe Adam will be reborn one day."

"He will, his fëa is in the Halls of Mandos."

"I am glad for you. Phoebe will be delighted also. He was her twin brother after all. I will train him once he is reborn -"

"I am certain your sister will consider the privilege to be hers."

"She can fight for the honor then. She will have many brothers fighting her for it."

"It may be easier for me to have four more elflings, once for each of you!" she exclaimed.

"What a great solution!" he cried enthusiastically.

"You are insane!"

They stayed in silence for a few minutes.

"Nana, what are you waiting for? He is waiting for you."

"I was gathering my courage. Thank you for helping me. What a naneth I am, needing my own son to give me counsel!"

"You forget that I am a few millennia older than you are! You may be my naneth, but you are almost a child!"

"Stop it. I am 133 years old!"

"Exactly my point."

She pinched him through the sleeve of his tunic. "I do not feel like going through the inn and seeing everyone. I want to see him first."

"A simple solution then. Adar is in a room on the second floor, third window to the left. Right near that tree. Do you feel like climbing like in the good old days of my childhood? I will help you."

"It is an option."

"It is the only option. Come on!"

He pulled her by the arm to the bottom of the tree, and climbed on the first branch. From there, he pulled her up and helped her to climb until she put her feet on the balcony.

"I will take over from here, if you do not mind," she whispered.

"Are you asking me to leave?" he asked cheekily.

"Just go! I will see you tomorrow."

"Fine! An ellon knows when his services are no longer required. Have a good night!" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

He jumped down the tree and she waited until she could no longer see him before she turned back to the window of the room where her mate was waiting for her. She took a minute to observe him.

Glorfindel was sitting on a couch, eyes closed, as if he was trying to rest without going to bed. She could see the twitching of his mouth from time to time, proving that he was far from relaxing. He was waiting for her, unable to rest until he knew that she was fine and back with her family. She was the cause of his stress, in fact, ever since she had entered his life, she had caused him worry. They had been happy, doubtlessly, but she had turned his relatively quiet world upside down with her arrival and their subsequently growing family. The past few years had been hell for him. He had been alone for so long, and when she had returned, she had been different in a negative way. Did he still love her as much as before? After all, they had not been able to renew their bond since her return. He had stopped trying a while back. Did it mean that their bond would remain weak? Was there any hope that they could start their story again where she had left it when orcs had taken her away? She leaned against the railing of the balcony, moving by barely a millimeter the decorative flower pot that had been there.

Instantly, Glorfindel's eyes moved to the window and he saw her on the balcony. He straightened on the couch and they stared at each other.

He was so handsome, even with a worried frown. His golden hair was loose except for his warrior braids, which were slightly disheveled. She remembered how she had done his braids before leaving Imladris the last time she had seen him before her abduction. She had left with her sons later that morning and had come back years later. He had always liked to let her braid his hair, especially when she was giving him a scalp massage at the same time. He had always found that so relaxing.

She gently opened the tall window and walked up to him. He watched her warily as she went behind him without saying a word. She put her hands on his shoulders, and immediately felt him relax. He put a hand above hers on his shoulder, and stayed in that position for a minute, both of them breathing deeply. They knew that even if things would not be easy over the next few months, the hardest part was behind them now.

She pulled her hand from under his and started to untie one of his braids, and then the other. He sighed when her fingers gently massaged his head.

"Valerie, my love," he murmured.

"Hush, do not talk for now. Let us enjoy the fact that we are together once more."

She continued caressing his scalp while she was observing him from above. His shoulders were large, he was one of the strongest ellyn she had ever seen. She knew exactly what his chest looked like under his tunic and shirt. Smooth skin over developed abdominal and pectoral muscles. No chest hair whatsoever, like all elves. She almost shuddered remembering the men of the East who had dwelt in Mordor. They had been abhorrent to her eyes when compared to the mate she had missed so much before Sauron had started taking her memories away. She planned to lower her hands back on his shoulders and then slowly caress his torso. Her mind was running wild. She wanted to caress his skin, see him burning with desire, touch him intimately until he cried in release. Their intimacy had been an awkward affair since her return, and she wanted no more of that.

She massaged the lower part of his head until she reached his neck. Her fingers moved to his throat and slowly opened the first clasp of his blue tunic. Glorfindel held his breath but did not open his eyes. She leaned over him and undid all the clasps, slowly, one after the other, and completely opened his tunic. She pulled his undershirt up to expose his abdominal muscles and gently grazed her nails on the revealed flesh. His skin was slightly glowing in the light of the candles. She had always thought that his skin glowed a bit more than anyone else's. Now that she had met the Valar, she knew that Glorfindel, having been reborn in Valinor and prepared for his mission, had received more elven light than any other living elf. That was why he had scared the Witch-King of Angmar. He was almost a Maiar. And he was hers. Only hers.

He was still holding his breath, and it was time for him to start breathing again. She slightly turned her head and licked the tip of his ear. His reaction was immediate. Before she could even blink, he was standing and facing her, the couch between them as a protective barrier, almost in a battle stance.

"Valerie… you come in here, we do not even discuss about anything and… Why are you doing this?" he asked, confused and worried.

She smiled. Her Glorfindel, ever the gentleman, always adopting the most appropriate behavior in all circumstances. But quite a few times, she had made him forget his dear principles, the most incredible time when she had convinced him to make love to her out of wedlock, before the other champions could meet her. Each time, he had found joy outside the familiar territory of appropriateness. She simply had to bring him there again. And again.

She walked back slowly and languidly started to slide her gown off her shoulders until her dress was hanging very low in her breasts. "I am doing this because this is what mates do, my love. Do you not remember what we used to do? All our moments of passion..."

"You remember them?" he asked, trying not to be hopeful.

"Can you not read me?" she purred.

"I have not been able to read you properly since… I was never able to recreate our bond," he reminded her with a frown. Since her return to Imladris, they have been intimate a few times, but never had they reconnected like two fëa-mates.

"Why don't we try now, again?"

He was watching her with barely contained desire, but he still doubted. "Did the Valar help remove the part of _him_ inside you?"

"Why do you not try to see for yourself?"

"Valerie, I am not jesting!" he cried, his anger rising. She realized he was in no state of mind to be toyed with.

"Yes, my love, they did," she whispered to calm him down. "It is only I in my fëa, and in my heart. Only I. And you, thoughts of you, so many of them. That flame that used to burn for you – it is back, Glorfindel. I am yours only once more." She gently pulled her dress down, revealing her breasts completely along with the rest of her body. She lifted her hands in his direction while leaning against the wall. "Will you not take me, my mate?"

He pounced quickly, jumping above the couch, and pinned her against the wall. He devoured her mouth like a starved elf, making her knees weak, all the while removing his opened tunic and undershirt. His leggings were gone quickly after, and he took her with one eager thrust. She cried out, now unfamiliar with his passion, a side of him she had not seen for many years. She opened her fëa to him, hoping he would attempt to connect their souls before it was over. She was not disappointed. Almost immediately after his first entry in her core, he projected his own fëa and she felt their fëar joining once again. The sheer ecstasy of the bond made them come almost immediately, their cries being heard in the rooms around them.

They remained against the wall, Glorfindel's head leaning on hers, their heartbeat slowing down in harmony.

"Well… that was quick," she commented with a chuckle. "Do you mind if we go finish this on the bed? You may remember that I never was too fond of sexual encounters against walls. There are not the most comfortable of places."

Above her head, she heard a choking noise from her mate, and she knew he was crying.

"Why the tears?" she asked, although she could now read him as perfectly as before. His relief was almost pulsing around him. She put her arms around his neck to comfort him. "Yes, I am back. And I am yours. The Valar released you from your oath. From now on, we can do whatever we want. We can go wherever we want. No one has a say into our plans."

"You think our children will accept that?" he asked, his voice still trembling, but at least, he was attempting to jest.

"I did not say we would not have a collection of reborn elves following us everywhere we go, but we have grown used to it. They can be quite entertaining when they want. I think we should keep them."

He chuckled and finally looked at her. "I love you," she said, gently drying the treacherous tears he had shed.

"I love you too."

"Now, I would really like to go wash a little, and then start this all over again. This was not your greatest performance and I believe I am entitled to an encore."

"I cannot believe I actually missed your teasing!"

"Yes, you did!" she confirmed, and he left go of her. He watched her as she cleaned herself with the water that had been left by a servant. Once she was done, she sat on the bed and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I am waiting," she sing-sang, opening her arms for him again.

She did not have to ask twice, and he made sure that she would not tease him about his performance for the rest of the night. When they finally fell asleep, Glorfindel sent his gratitude to the gods who had answered all his prayers.

And for the first time in years, Valerie slept without the cold and sadness of solitude.

OoOoO

"When do you thing they will deign to make an appearance?"

The reborn children of Valerie and Glorfindel were getting impatient. It was almost lunch time and their second parents were still alone in their room, as if they had no one worrying about them.

A few hours before, a messenger from the Valar had left a missive for their parents, and their desire to know the content was increasing by the hour.

A servant passed in the common room, carrying a tray full of food.

"Where are you taking this?" Oropher asked the servant.

"Lord Glorfindel asked for a tray to be brought to him and his mate."

"Oh no, no, no, no and no!" Nimrodel cried with indignation. "Put that tray on the table please."

"But… Lord Glorfindel..." the servant mumbled, obviously not ready to ignore the famous lord's request.

"You would not dare interrupt them!" Tialyn challenged her new sister-in-law.

"I think they… consumed their love enough for one day," Valerie's daughter replied with hauteur.

"We should know, they did it against the adjoining wall of our room!" Oropher cried.

"This is none of our business. Let them be reunited for as long as they want!" Tialyn could not believe her ears. Even her usually moody and dark mate was willing to let this happen.

"You have much to learn about our family, my Lady," Gil-galad offered.

"I hope your adar throws you out, head first, down their balcony." Tialyn was only half-joking. What would the siblings do to her mate and her if they were willing to do something so inappropriate to their own parents?

"They will do no such thing," her mate tried to appease her. "Nimrodel can get away with anything, right, sister?"

"Of course, you can count on me. They will be joining us within the next ten minutes. And I will not be coming back down by the window." She gave her best grin to her new sister-in-law, thinking that Tialyn really needed to adapt to her mate's family.

Nimrodel left the group and climbed the stairs to the second floor, and knocked gently on the door like a discreet servant would. It took a few seconds before she heard her adar's voice from afar, asking her to come in and put the tray on the table.

She opened the door and took a look at the room. Her parents had been allocated the best room of the inn, that was for sure. Her own room only had a bed and some furniture, but her parents had a suite of two rooms comprised of a boudoir and a bedroom, with what looked like a private bathing room. Her parents were nowhere in sight, but she could hear their voices in the bedroom. She closed the door behind herself, ensuring that her parents would think the servant had left the room. She then silently walked to the bedroom to see what her parents were doing. She saw her mother sitting on a chair near the window, in a dressing gown and her hair still slightly yet. The most important thing though, was that her shirtless father was leaning over her and kissing her on the mouth, his hand somewhere inside her dressing gown. Nimrodel cleared her throat and both her parents jumped. Her adar moved away from her naneth, who quickly closed her dressing gown around her.

"Well, I am glad to see you are in such a romantic mood, but I was wondering if you realize that your children are waiting for you in the common room for the mid-day meal?" she inquired cheekily.

"I was under the impression that you were old enough to feed yourselves without help. But if you need spoon feeding, I will be with you right away," Valerie replied, grinning. Only Glorfindel had a grim expression.

"You should have announced your presence before entering," he chided.

"I did! I knocked, you told me to come in!" Nimrodel replied with an angelic air. She turned to her mother who had stood and was opening her arms to hug her. They held each other for a long time, both of them very emotional. "Gil-galad told us that you have recovered from your… affliction?" Nimrodel whispered.

"Yes, I am glad to report that the Valar cured me. Our lives will be as they used to be."

"Not quite, Naneth, not quite. We are now in Valinor and many decisions must be made. We are truly waiting for you in the common room."

"We will join you soon," Glorfindel said, having put on an undershirt and a tunic. He was now presentable except for his lack of boots.

"Do you need help to dress?" Nimrodel asked her mother.

"I will take care of it," her father replied. It was clear that he would dedicate the next few weeks to get close to her mother again. "Go join your brothers and tell them we will be there as soon as we can."

"I will rather tell them that you will be there in a few minutes. I would not want you to think you could stray from our course… and take care of more frivolous matters."

"Sweetie, we would never dare," Valerie said, winking.

"Next time, it is my brothers who will show up in your room," Nimrodel threatened, knowing that Gil-galad would not hesitate one second to intrude in their parents' intimacy.

She left the suite, swiftly changing her expression for one of agitation before she entered the common room of the inn.

"What happened?" Tialyn cried, thinking that Nimrodel had been severely reprimanded by her parents.

Nimrodel sat beside her and hid her face behind her hands. "Oh gods," she whined. "They were so angry! I do not know how I will face them again."

"We will say that… we asked you to do it," Tialyn said, her mind working in overdrive to find a way out of the situation for the poor Nimrodel.

"It will not be enough! If looks could kill, my adar would have eliminated me!"

"He cannot be such a violent ellon!" Tialyn cried.

"And my naneth… she was just as angry."

"Oropher! Please help Nimrodel! I am certain that she deeply regrets her intervention!"

The scene being played was so loud that even Valerie and Glorfindel could follow it while Valerie was getting dressed and drying her hair. "Nimrodel is doing a little too much. Oropher's mate cannot believe all this nonsense!"

"I am sorry, my dear," Oropher continued in the common room, "but my parents can be quite unpleasant when pissed."

"Odious even," Galadhon added while Gil-galad and Turgon were trying to keep a straight face.

"Nimrodel may not even be allowed to live with us anymore," Oropher added with great sadness.

"Oh Valar, where will I live? What will become of me?" Nimrodel lamented.

"You will always be able to live with us, right, Oropher?" Tialyn offered.

"I cannot say," her mate replied. "My parents are more important to me than a simple reborn sister. She is not even my blood sister, you see, and quite frankly, Nimrodel has never been very nice to me either..."

Tialyn watched them all with her mouth open, distressed, scandalized beyond words.

Always ready to play with her children, Valerie chose that moment to storm in the common room, glaring at her daughter.

"Nimrodel Glorfindeliel! How dare you!" she cried, walking briskly to the table where her children and the queen of Greenwood were sitting. "Your adar remained in our room, trying to calm down. He is insulted to the core. I have never seen him so upset, so angry, in all our years of marriage! I did not raise you like this! I am ashamed of calling you my daughter!"

"She is not truly your daughter," Oropher chided softly while all eyes turned to him. Tialyn blushed in shame, looking at the floor. How her mate had changed! In his previous life, he would never have thrown a family member under the carriage in such a way.

"You are right," Valerie agreed. "I hope for you, Nimrodel, that your adar will not kick you out of this family." She sat in the spot that had been quickly cleared between Oropher and Turgon. "And you?" she asked, looking at all her sons. "Which one of you was the genius who convinced her to do it? Your fate may not be better."

"Gil-galad," Oropher supplied again fervently. This time, Tialyn cried in shame, hiding her face behind her delicate hands, unable to recognize her mate in this traitor.

Glorfindel put an end to the show when he calmly entered the room and watched his entire family with a raised brow but an otherwise peaceful face. He walked to Tialyn and gallantly bowed to her.

"Queen Tialyn, how are you this morning? I see that my family has been testing your nerves?"

The others all burst laughing, Oropher included, and then Valerie stood and started distributing kisses and caresses to her children, laughing and crying as they all realized that she seemed very well indeed, after years of being unwell and tormented.

Tialyn realized that Oropher's family had tricked her into thinking that a fight was upcoming between siblings and parents that did not truly love each other, while it was the entire opposite. Oropher squeezed her hand gently in apology, and she smiled weakly, slowly recovering from the farce.

"I apologize, my Lady, for I could not resist teasing you with my children," Valerie said, finally turning to her. "I am Valerie, the poor elleth who raised that rascal you call mate sitting beside you." Valerie pushed Oropher away and kissed Tialyn's cheek.

"Please, do not address me as My Lady, you are Oropher's second naneth after all," Tialyn mumbled, a little overwhelmed. Definitely, Oropher's naneth was not shy to say the least. She seemed strong-minded yet cheerful and loving. Glorfindel was now sitting in front of her and Valerie took his hand and squeezed it before turning back to caress Nimrodel's cheek, only to kiss Oropher again. Yes, loving she was. Was it the reason why Oropher was so completely different than in her memories of their previous life together? She had found him so different that she was still a little distant with him. Ever since his arrival, they had spent some time alone together while waiting for Valerie to come back from Lord Tulkas' palace, but they had not been intimate. They had to get reacquainted before resuming their lives together, and Oropher had respected her desire to take some time in order to do so.

"Naneth, please tell us what happened at the palace," Turgon urged.

"Would you please give us some privacy?" Glorfindel asked to the servant who was almost finished serving the light lunch. She bowed and left the room, leaving the family alone in the inn's common room. "Your naneth's fëa is now all her own," Glorfindel announced with a twinkle in his eyes, a joyful expression on his face he had not allowed to emerge until the family was alone.

"And yours, my love, yours too," Valerie replied lovingly. "Our bond has fully been restored last night."

"And this morning, over and over again," Nimrodel chided, earning a sharp pinch from her mother. She laughed while rubbing her arm.

Tialyn had wondered, in the day she had shared with Glorfindel while they had been waiting, what kind of elleth would have attracted such a regal ellon who had obviously been favored by the Valar and given some powers. She had imagined a very serious and leveled elleth, blonde with a gentle gaze. Valerie was nothing like that, with her buoyant character and her striking physical appearance. But she could tell, by the way they were looking at each other, that Glorfindel and Valerie were deeply in love.

"All will be well from now on," Gil-galad added with certainty.

"The Valar decided that your adar's mission is over, that he no longer needs to serve Lord Elrond," Valerie said. "Thank you, Gil-galad, for allowing us to tell your brothers and sister ourselves. I met him in the street last night," she clarified for them all.

"Is this good news?" Tialyn asked.

"Yes, it is,"Glorfindel explained. "For thousands of years, I have protected Elrond's family. I can call them friends, and I cherish his children very much. However, it is time for me to decide what I want to do with my life and with my own family."

"We just have to figure out what we want to do. So many possibilities are ahead of us," Valerie sighed. "And you may have lives here already. You have parents to be reunited with." There was no mistaking the sadness in her voice. "Our home will always be open to you, wherever it is."

"We sure hope so!" Galadhon laughed. "Many of us were planning to live with you, if you will allow it!"

Valerie smiled to him gratefully. "I love you," she whispered to her son.

"There are many family matters to discuss," Oropher acknowledged. "I suggest we start with this letter from the Valar, which was delivered today." He gave the envelope to Glorfindel.

"I am surprised none of you opened it already." He studied them with a grin, knowing they barely resisted the urge to read the letter before him.

They all watched his expression while he read, but could not determine what the letter contained since no emotion appeared on his face. Glorfindel refolded the letter and looked at them calmly.

"So?" Valerie asked, "Will you not tell us what the Valar says in the letter?"

"They confirm that my mission is over. And as a… reward for my mission and how we raised six reborn elves," he hesitated with the word, still not realizing how difficult his mission had truly been, "they are giving us a house here, in Valmar."

"They are giving us a house?" Valerie asked, bewildered.

"That may solve our housing problems," Nimrodel said, ever practical. "Do they say where it is located?"

"At the end of the city, near the woods."

"Let us go see it now!"

"Wait a moment, there are a few things we need to discuss," Glorfindel replied. He clearly was the head of the family despite the fact that many of his reborn sons were kings. "Thranduil's first wife is in Greenwood, calling herself queen," he informed Valerie.

"I only heard recently that Thranduil had remarried," Tialyn said. "I had never imagined that he would take another wife-"

"Phoebe is his fëa-mate," Valerie mentioned.

"Yes, Oropher told me. It does help, because a fëa bond cannot be ignored. But I found myself in a difficult situation. Bereth is Legolas' naneth and she refuses to be treated differently than a queen until Thranduil sails."

"This is something you will take care of, I hope?" Galadhon asked Oropher.

"I will," Oropher confirmed. "Phoebe is a sister of mine, my favorite actually-" he teased.

"Wait until I tell this to Mithrellas," Nimrodel cut him with a smirk.

"She will be recognized as one of the two queens of Greenwood, and not only when she sails. I will clarify this with our people as soon as I arrive in the kingdom."

"Please be gentle with Bereth," Valerie asked. "Stepping down will not be easy. Give her a title of some sort..."

"She cannot live in Greenwood, it would be distasteful!" he replied.

"She is Legolas' naneth. It will be no more distasteful than my very presence on these shores. And Glorfindel's."

They all silently reflected on Valerie's comment. It was true that many parents may not appreciate the fact that their child had been reborn in the house of the Lord of the Golden Flower, and in Middle Earth no less.

"Speaking of this, your naneth, your first naneth, I mean," Tialyn clarified for Oropher, "was extremely displeased about your rebirth."

"She did not come for your arrival in Alqualondë?" Valerie asked.

"You do not know my first naneth," Oropher said grimly. "This is another matter I will need to take care of."

"Maybe I can stay away, allow you to mend your relationship with her?" Valerie suggested.

Tialyn looked at her mate. His expression was telling her that he had not forgotten how he had suffered from lack of motherly love in his first life. She knew that Lithil had not changed at all and was waiting for Oropher to come back to try to control his life again and make it miserable as a consequence.

"They did not have much of a relationship to begin with," she delicately told her mother-in-law about the other one. Tialyn suddenly realized that she actually had two mothers-in-law now. She hoped Valerie would be a more pleasant one than Lithil had been.

"You staying away from me is not an option. It is not an option for any of us," Oropher said, earning the confirming nods of his siblings.

"So can we go see the house now?" Nimrodel asked.

"I have more news," Valerie said. She took Glorfindel's hand again. "I have received confirmation that Adam's fëa is in the Halls of Mandos."

"This is such great news!" Nimrodel cried. "He will be reborn one day. Did they say when?"

"They have not. I heard it can take a very long time," Valerie replied with a trembling voice.

"But we will be there when it happens," Glorfindel said firmly. "We will be reunited with him."

"Who is Adam?" Tialyn whispered to Oropher.

"Our brother, Phoebe's twin. He died when I was a young elfling."

"How did he die?"

"Orcs," Glorfindel darkly replied. It was easy enough for her to imagine. So many fëar were in the Halls because of these vicious beasts.

Tialyn nodded silently. The mood around the table had considerably darkened because of her questions. She had to find a way to cheer them up somehow. Already, she was adapting to this family with major mood swings, Oropher's second family. Her new family. She prayed the Valar that she would be accepted quickly. "Are we going to see the house?" she asked as Nimrodel had demanded before.

"Yes," Valerie replied with a sad smile. "Let us go see the house. I need my cloak."

"I will get it," Glorfindel said.

"Why does she need a cloak?" Tialyn whispered in Oropher's ear.

"She feels the cold like a mortal."

"She does? How strange!"

"A word of advice, my dear. Stop asking questions. Just observe and go with the flow. It will be easier for you."

* * *

A/N: there are 3 chapters left to the story! Life is finally improving for Valerie after all these years of suffering, and the story will slowly progress to the happy ending she deserves… Don't forget to leave a review!

Princessnera: the Valar had to deal with the portion of Sauron still in Valerie, and they were expecting that he would drive Valerie to do his bidding before they were able to remove the threat. This is why they were so forceful…

Shetan20: thank you for your usual support!

Glassary: I can't imagine how it feels for the elves to leave people behind, not knowing if and when the others would sail to join them. Under the circumstances, the separation must be really difficult – at least most of Valerie's children sailed with her.

Maggie: Happy ending soon, I promise! Did you like the gentler approach of the Valier Nessa versus how the Valar had welcomed Valerie?

Paperlanterns86: it must be quite something to meet living gods! That ought to make you believe in them fairly quickly!


	30. Chapter 30 - the Halls of Awaiting

_Chapter 29 ended with:_

" _She feels the cold like a mortal."_

" _She does? How strange!"_

" _A word of advice, my dear. Stop asking questions. Just observe and go with the flow. It will be easier for you."_

 **Chapter 30 – the Halls of Awaiting**

Valerie was lying on a bench in the backward of the manor, sitting beside Oropher who was as pensive as she was. They had both been staring at the beauty of the sunlight through the clouds for quite some time, just relaxing and thinking of the past two weeks.

It had been strange times indeed. They had visited the house that the Valar had given them, its size making it more a manor than a regular house. It was located at the far end of the city, on a vast land divided by an alley with trees on each side in the front of the house, and an amazing garden in the back. The Golden Flower crest in wrought iron had been already on the main gate on the day of their first visit, as if the Valar had been planning to give them that house a long time ago.

The manor was quite vast, with enough rooms to lodge all their children comfortably. Valerie was very grateful for this. Knowing that her children could visit her and stay with her for long periods of time was a balm on her pain of soon being separated from most of them as they would join their first families.

In the meantime, they had all accepted to stay with her for a few weeks, and even Elenwë and Malrin, the mates of Turgon and Galadhon, had joined them for a new honeymoon following their reunion. Each reunited couple was spending a lot of time in their private rooms, reacquainting themselves with each other, while Nimrodel and Gil-galad went to visit friends and family during the day. At night, they all met for dinner and talked for hours, about the past, the future, and the people of Valinor.

Valerie shivered in the cold breeze. It was fall in Valmar, and she was cold despite the autumn sun. She wrapped her cloak lined with fur around herself, remembering the face of the seamstress as she had made the request. Apparently, no one in Valinor had ever needed fur to keep them warm, and Glorfindel had had to intervene before the seamstress caused a scene. Her sons had hunted deers and had prepared the fur for the seamstress, something they had been used to do for her while they were living in Imladris. Knowing how unusual it was for the people of Valinor, Valerie was only wearing her cloak when she was in the garden, and would simply wear a regular cloak and be cold when she went to the city.

She sighed. It was difficult to be the only half-elven being in the entire population of Valinor. She was definitely being stared at when she was visiting the town, although Glorfindel and her children were also causing some commotion. She wished that with time, people would get used to her and her family, and let them live their lives in peace.

She was glad that Glorfindel was so supportive. Like her children with their respective mates, she was living a new honeymoon with him. They spent a lot of time catching up, sharing their thoughts and doubts, wondering what they would do with the rest of the eternal lives. Glorfindel had never contemplated the possibility of not having to continue serving Lord Elrond and his family. The former lord of Imladris had visited them with his wife Celebrian, and he had tried to convince them to participate in the construction of his future realm. Although extremely flattered, they had not given him a firm answer. They wanted a few weeks to consider their options. They needed time alone, time to love each other, like they had done this morning…

Valerie looked at Oropher, who was still gazing at the sky. He had not noticed her agitation. She went back to her musing, replaying her memories of Glorfindel earlier that morning. She had woken, her head against his chest, her arm around his waist. The sunlight through the thin curtains was making his skin shine, and she had slowly caressed his warm skin while inhaling deeply his familiar scent. He had woken when she had started kissing his throat, already straddling his hips and slowly undulating her body above his, caressing him with her breasts and stomach. It had not taken a long time before their bodies were fully joined, Valerie moving up and down his length while they had kissed passionately.

She looked sideways in the direction of her son. Still pensively watching the sky.

She recalled how Glorfindel had looked glorious, his eyes closed and breathing heavily through his slightly open mouth, face reflecting the ecstasy he had been feeling while she had engulfed him into her silky core. He had opened his eyes when he had felt her nails scratch his shoulder, leaving five little red crescents in the heat of the moment. As an apology, she had licked the blood and accelerated her movements, and he had closed his eyes again, his body tensing with the increasing wave of pleasure. He had come shortly after, she had followed a few moments later.

And now she was wondering if this happiness would last. She wanted to live their new life fully with something they had never had before – a child of their own to raise together one day, while Glorfindel no longer had border duty. She wished the same happiness to all her children. Turgon and Galadhon were very happy, as far as she could tell, since their reunion with their mate. They were spending a lot of time in their respective apartments, only coming out for meals with their mate, more cheerful than she had ever seen them. She was getting to know Malrin and Elenwë, two very sweet ellith who were very knowledgeable about elven history. Valerie liked to spend her evenings with her two daughters-in-law, discussing Valinor and the people she would eventually be introduced to.

It was different for Oropher. Tialyn and him had been in Valmar from the get-go, and were spending time together. But she knew they had not been intimate yet. Of all her sons, Oropher was the one who had changed the most character-wise, and his mate was not adapting well to the change. It worried Valerie to no end.

"What is going on between you and Tialyn?" she asked, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Nothing."

"It is not nothing," she insisted.

"It is nothing I wish to discuss with you."

"With whom do you wish to discuss it?"

"No one." He was closed like a shell.

"Great. That is the right attitude, son! The problem will fix itself in no time."

They did not talk for a little while. Valerie knew he would not leave the garden, and that he would not remain silent forever. She only had to wait for him to be ready to talk. It took another hour before he said anything to her.

"I am different," he simply said.

"I can imagine."

"She watches me, tiptoeing around me as she used to, as if… she was expecting me to get mad at the smallest thing."

"From what I heard, your temper used to be worse than Thranduil's, and that is saying a lot. Phoebe does not tolerate his moods and just yells back at him, but Tialyn – she seems like a person who would fade into the background until the storm has passed. She must have been used to wait it out. And now? Nothing. No temper tantrums, no grudges against the other kings. Just a prankster with a huge, strange family. That is quite a change, do you not agree?"

"Yes," he laconically replied.

"Do you think she changed too?"

"A lot. She seems… stronger. More determined."

"She has been able to remain in Middle Earth with Thranduil without fading, supporting him at the beginning of his reign after your passing. And when she sailed, she came here and ruled Greenwood in Valinor. Maybe she simply never had the opportunity to show her strength when you were alive. This being said… is that a problem for you?"

"Is it a problem for me?" he mused out loud. "I cannot say it is," he replied to his own question shortly after. "Not after being born in this family. Between you and Phoebe, I certainly got used to fierce ellith! And Nimrodel! I am certain she is very different than what she was in her first life. Amroth may be shocked when he is reborn."

"If strong-willed ellith are not a problem for you, let me ask you again. What is going on between Tialyn and you?"

"I have difficulty adapting, it is so strange to see how changed she is. And she feels the same way. It is as if we are rediscovering each other."

"When I came back from Mordor," she started with hesitation, "I was very different too."

"I know, I was there," he jested, trying to make the conversation lighter.

"You were not there behind our closed door. I barely spoke to your adar, I would not allow him to touch me. In the first years, we were intimate a handful of times. I simply could not accept that he still loved me, when I could not love myself."

He grabbed her hand firmly. "You had no reason to hate yourself. No one did. It was all in your head."

"All I am trying to say, Oropher, is that even if we had not sailed, your adar would have eventually succeeded in helping me find my way back to him. Despite the darkness. Despite the obstacles in front of us. It would have taken a few more years, but we would have gotten there. Tialyn and you have been spared this kind of suffering. So what if she is more determined than she used to be while you are so much more easy going? You only need a little nudge towards each other. I assume you are still attracted to her?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "Very much."

"Then I suggest you get to the point, _ion nin_. Right now."

He chuckled.

"Right now, you understand?" she insisted. "Do not look, but Tialyn is currently in your room, watching us at your window." She sighed loudly when he quickly turned his head to see if she was telling the truth while Tialyn moved back inside the room so that they would not think she was spying on them. "You ellyn, what a bunch of coconut heads! Go! Go now!" she cried, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. "Stop talking, stop thinking, stop second-guessing yourself! Just go to your room and make love to her already!"

He stood, laughing at her vehement suggestion. "Did you know that Phoebe once said something similar to our adar, shortly after you had come back to us? Except her language was different. Cruder."

"Despite all her shortfalls, Phoebe does know what she is talking about. But what a dirty mouth! I blame your son for this!"

"As you should!"

"I will discuss your parenting skills with Tialyn and you at dinner tonight. And Oropher?" she called back. "Do not show yourself at dinner if your bond has not been renewed, am I clear?"

Oropher's laughter was his only reply. But he did follow her advice, and a few hours later, as Valerie expected, Tialyn and him joined the rest of the family holding hands and glowing like newlyweds. Valerie congratulated herself now that her three mated sons were now fully reunited with her wives. Only Nimrodel and Gil-galad were still alone, she because Amroth was still not reborn, and the High King because he simply had not met his mate yet. Both of them felt left out and spent a great amount of time together, but she could not really do anything about that…

OoOoO

 _Two months later_

Galadhon and Turgon had left for Tirion with their mates almost a month before while Oropher and Tialyn had left for Greenwood at the same time. Glorfindel had also traveled to Tirion to visit his parents with Gil-galad, and they both had stayed there for a few days.

Valerie was reading in the living room, Nimrodel working on her tapestry beside her, when a servant announced the arrival of Lady Lithil, naneth of King Oropher of Greenwood. Valerie immediately saw by the apologetic expression of the servant that the elleth behind him must have demanded this exact introduction.

Oropher's first naneth was wearing ostentatious clothing and jewelry, the haughtiness of her expression giving a rather shocking impression that she thought herself a queen in her own right. She had a flashback of Thranduil in his most unpleasant moments. Nimrodel looked at Valerie with a puzzled expression and left her tapestry to sit beside Valerie while Lady Lithil was staring at them with disdain. She sniffed contemptuously and sat on the couch in front of them before being invited to.

Valerie had arrived in Valinor promising herself that she would do all she could to be friends, or at least pleasant, with the first mothers of her reborn children. However, within moments of meeting Oropher's naneth, she knew that the conversation would be anything but pleasant.

"So you are the one who carried my son when he was reborn." It was not a question, but a comment accompanied by a disdainful smile.

"I had this great honor, yes," Valerie confirmed.

"Yes, a great honor indeed. For someone like you, I suppose."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nimrodel asked, insulted by Lithil's allusion that Valerie was unworthy of the honor.

Valerie put a calming hand on her daughter's arm.

"Half-elven… barely out of childhood… and this hair! I had heard about it but I admit I could not believe that such a vulgar hair color existed. Oh! I almost forgot! You were a mortal before, it must be where it came from!"

"Yes, I used to be a mortal before I arrived in Middle Earth."

"She was chosen by the Valar," Nimrodel added quickly.

"A decision that is incomprehensible to most of us."

"Are you questioning the will of the Valar?" Valerie asked delicately, wondering if Lithil would go that far. She must have realized how dangerously close to condemning a decision made by the gods she had been because Lithil paused for a moment.

"I am simply wondering why he was not reborn to me."

"You were in Valinor, they wanted him to be reborn in Middle Earth, where Thranduil was still living. But I wish to reassure you, I loved him with all my heart."

"He is different. His manners are dreadful! The first thing he did when he returned to Greenwood was to request that our dear Bereth renounce her title of queen, pretending that Thranduil now has a new mate. A half-elven elleth, your daughter. A warrior!" she spat, "while Bereth gave him Legolas, his only heir!"

"I believe it was up to Thranduil to decide if he was going to consider his first marriage with Bereth valid after her death, or if he was going to remarry. He found in Phoebe his true fëa-mate. He told me so himself."

"Legolas is a wonderful ellon," Nimrodel added, "but he is not Thranduil's only heir. He now has a daughter, Aranel."

"An illegitimate child," Lithil sniffed.

"She is not illegitimate," Valerie cried, defending her granddaughter. "She was born from parents whose mating was recognized by the Valar."

"She is a quarter mortal! She cannot be considered royalty!"

"Lady Lithil," Valerie said coldly, standing with hauteur, "you are no longer welcome in my home. I would request that you leave immediately, never to return until you have changed your ways."

Lithil laughed haughtily. "As if I wanted to spend any more time in your company! You are not asking me to leave, I am leaving of my own volition. I am going back to my son's kingdom, where I will be shown the respect I deserve. _By my son_ ," she insisted.

Lithil turned around, her skirts swirling around in a movement that seemed to have been practiced frequently over the centuries. Valerie was so angered by what Lithil had said, so determined to hurt her as much as she had been hurt by Lithil's contempt, that she forgot all her vows of befriending the first naneths of her reborn children, and called back Lithil when she was almost out of the room. Oropher's first mother stopped and turned to look at Valerie.

"Lady Lithil, I know from a very reliable source that out of his two naneths, Oropher prefers... me. And I am certain that you will appreciate a saying from my former world that is very representative of what our situation is. Do you want to hear it?"

"I am certain it is crude and base, as all mortals are."

"It goes like this: _the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world_. I understand you never really took care of him as a child? I did. Maybe you should meditate on what this will mean for you."

Lithil's beautiful face contracted in an ugly frown. She glared at Valerie and Nimrodel, and left the room, insulted to the core. As soon as she was out, Valerie's knees weakened under her and she almost fell before her daughter grabbed her and helped her sit on the couch.

"I cannot believe I said that! That was so… mean! I should not have attacked her so viciously! Oropher will be very disappointed!"

"I do not believe Oropher will be angry with you, but he will certainly not forgive Lithil. I will write to him right away, and send a messenger within the hour. He will get my letter before she arrives in Greenwood. And then, if I know my brother well… there will be changes for her in the way she is treated in his kingdom."

"Are you sure? Please, do not omit my part, I do not want you to hide that I hurt her as much as she hurt me."

"She diminished you, treated you like dirt. All you did was mention the truth. Oh, I cannot wait for adar to hear about that. She belittled his mate and one of his precious daughters, and his one and only grandchild. I want to be there when you tell him!"

"I am not certain that I raised you properly. You are nothing like a proper elleth. You are too much like Phoebe and I."

Nimrodel laughed. "At least, you succeeded with our sweet Mithrellas, she is such a delight! Thank you for giving me at least a sibling I do not have to worry about!"

Still laughing, Nimrodel left the room, calling a servant to get her writing supplies.

Still feeling guilty, Valerie lied down on the couch, hoping this would not create a diplomatic incident of unprecedented proportions in Valinor. She felt that it would be the first of many scandals that her and her children would cause in this previously very peaceful land. Would Glorfindel be ashamed of his family, or would he support them through and through, him who had always liked his privacy and living in the shadow of Lord Elrond's family?

It turned out that Valerie received support in most circles, and no one dared negatively comment Lithil's exile from Greenwood after all heard the callous words she had used to describe one so favored by the Valar.

OoOoO

 _Alqualondë_

 _20 years later, Year 20 of the Fourth Age_

 _(the Third Age ended in 3021, 20 years earlier)_

Valerie was standing on the quay, moving nervously between her assembled children and her mate, asking them the same questions over and over again, never listening to their answers. Everyone was showing immense patience, because they knew how anxious she was to be reunited with Phoebe and Aranel, but also because people were always very delicate with volatile pregnant ellith. So Valerie was going around, asking them over and over again if they finally saw the ship, which they did, if the harbor was safe for the ship, which it was, and if they thought that Phoebe had missed her, which they were absolutely certain she did. Phoebe did not love a lot of people, but when she did, she loved them with absolute determination. Valerie was extremely impatient to see her daughter. Whether she was as impatient to see Thranduil again was a different story, but she was willing to endure his moods for the sake of seeing her daughter and granddaughter.

"Nimrodel says that the queen has the same hair than you do," a little ellon told Valerie, pulling on her skirt to get her attention.

Valerie crouched down in front of him, her pregnant belly in the way of the hug she gave him. "Yes Amroth, Phoebe has the same red hair. You will see, she is breathtakingly beautiful."

"I think Nimrodel is very beautiful," he told her, and Nimrodel, who was standing a few feet away, blushed under the knowing gazes of her brothers.

"Well, he is already under her spell," Gil-galad whispered. "Nimrodel, what a conquest you have made!"

"Oh, shut up," she whispered back, ensuring that no one heard but her brothers.

Despite his young age, Amroth seemed to realize he was not very gallant. "I think you are beautiful too, Lady Valerie."

"You are so sweet," Valerie told him with a fond smile. "I am looking forward to spending more time with you."

"You want me to spend more time with your family?"

"Dear Amroth, I have a feeling that you will be part of my family one day."

Glorfindel frowned to let her know that she was starting to give the child too much information. He had the right to live his childhood without knowing that he was the former king of Lothlorien, although he did seem to realize he had a special bond with Nimrodel.

Glorfindel helped her back on her feet, discreetly caressing Valerie's bulging stomach with a possessive hand. He had always loved his reborn children with all his heart, and so did he for Phoebe and Adam, whom he had not conceived. But this child was special, the first one of his blood, and everyone was thrilled for him and Valerie.

If her sons had been taken aback by the news, Nimrodel had been extremely pleased to know there would be an elfling to spoil soon. She had bought furniture for the nursery when Valerie's pregnancy was not even showing yet.

Glorfindel was both confident all would go well while being absolutely nervous. He had written to all the people he knew, a proud future adar who did not care about the gossips their new pregnancy would cause in conservative Valinor. People were still watching Valerie with curiosity even after 20 years. Her having another child was certainly not helping them getting used to the strange half-elven elleth.

"I see it now!" Valerie cried, her less keen eyes now seeing the sails of the ship arriving from the Grey Havens. Glorfindel had to put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from jumping up and down on the quay.

She attentively watched the ship maneuver around the rocks in the port, until it was close enough for a worker to grab the rope that a sailor was throwing in his direction. Within minutes, the ship was properly attached to the quay and the gangway installed. But Valerie did not see these proceedings.

It seemed that Phoebe was as impatient to be reunited with her mother, because she had jumped from the ship directly on the quay and had ran to Valerie to hug her fiercely. All their family formed a circle around them, trying to see and speak to their older sister. In the commotion, everyone missed King Thranduil's regal arrival on the quay, arm in arm with his daughter Aranel. Put out by the lack of acknowledgment, he impatiently waited for the family to finally notice his presence, his daughter wholeheartedly laughing at his side.

He cleared his throat at least twice before an elleth noticed his presence and went to him. Thranduil immediately lost his composure and dropped Aranel's arm.

"Naneth, by the Valar, you look well!" he said, taking her face between his hands. "I missed you so very much."

"Thranduil! You look… different. What is that on your face, is it a smile?" Tialyn asked with a smirk, also taking his face in her gentle hands. She tip-toed to kiss his cheek. "You seem… happy?" she asked, uncertain if it was at all possible for her son to feel happiness since his encounter with a dragon and the passing of his adar millennia before.

"I am, although I would prefer if you did not tell anyone. I rather like scaring people."

Aranel laughed. "He is not as scary as he used to be. My naneth is actually much scarier."

Tialyn turned to her. "Aranel. You are so beautiful. I heard so much about you, from Oropher and Valerie. They are very fond of you."

"I am pleased to see you," her great-granddaughter replied, giving her a kiss. "You will see, I am nothing like the two red terrors."

Tialyn burst out laughing. "I quite like that name. Terror. How fitting for our Valerie."

They turned to the circle of family, in the middle of which Valerie and Phoebe were still hugging each other.

"Is it Adam?" Phoebe was asking her mother with no little amount of hope.

"No, it is not. But the Valar told me his fëa is in the Halls of Mandos. He will be reborn one day."

"I guess we will have to live with that hope," Phoebe sighed. "And who is that charming elfling?" she asked, pointing Amroth.

"He is Amroth, Nimrodel's one and true -"

"Friend," Nimrodel hastily cut Galadhon, who had been about to say too much in front of the child. She rolled her eyes, promising herself to once again have a conversation with her less than subtle brothers.

Phoebe finally let go of her mother to turn to her siblings, while Valerie looked outside of the circle to find her granddaughter. She made her way to where Aranel, Tialyn and Thranduil were standing.

"Aranel, my sweet girl, I missed you so much!" Valerie and Aranel hugged for longer than Thranduil could tolerate without comment.

"Good day, Valerie," he said, trying to show her how impolite he thought she was. Valerie ignored him until she had had her fill of holding Aranel.

She finally turned to the Elvenking. "Hello," she said coldly. "You certainly took your sweet time to bring them here, Thranduil. I recall you promising that they would be in Valinor within a decade."

"I said two decades, not one," Thranduil replied, sure of himself.

"One."

"Two. Two decades. I am not responsible for your memory losses."

Tialyn hit his arm. "Thranduil! In her state!"

"Valerie was pregnant most of the time I knew her, and I long ago decided that this did not require special treatment. Valar, she was already pregnant with Nimrodel and Mithrellas when I met her, and she was trying to seduce Legolas -"

"I was not!" Valerie cried. "Lady Galadriel had organized the meeting, and I was not planning to marry your son!"

Thranduil smirked, glad to have gotten a reaction out of her. "You must admit he would have been a better match. A prince, the best archer of all Middle Earth," he started enumerating.

"I much prefer my own mate, thank you very much. And Legolas is a much better match for Mithrellas."

"You are right, you are such a harpy."

"Is it too late to send Thranduil back to Middle Earth?" Valerie asked Oropher who was approaching.

"I am afraid they will refuse to take him back. Everyone must have been so relieved to hear he had left!" Oropher was laughing while he gave a quick hug to his son.

"My love, should we go to the inn so you can rest?" Glorfindel asked Valerie after having greeted the king and his daughter.

"Oh, she is not tired at all. Your mate is as combative as she always has been," Thranduil told him matter-of-factually.

"I am very tired," Valerie languidly said, eying Thranduil with a twinkle in her eyes.

"We have reserved two rooms for you, before we all go to Greenwood," Glorfindel told the king, not at all oblivious to the little game going on between his mate and his son-in-law. "And Thranduil? I am not certain if you remember, after all, Aranel is 101 years old, but it is not recommended to upset a pregnant elleth."

Valerie gave the king a triumphant smile before going back to Phoebe, who was finally done greeting all her siblings.

It was only a few hours later that a messenger from the Vala Namo arrived at the inn with a message addressed to both Valerie and Phoebe. The letter requested their presence for an audience at his Halls in the city of Mandos. Since Alqualondë was closer to Mandos than Greenwood, the family decided to bring both ellith to Mandos the next day.

The family was not even discussing why they had been summoned, it seemed very obvious to them all. A note from the Doomsman of the Valar, received on the very day that Phoebe had arrived in Valinor? It could only be about Adam. There were barely any words pronounced during the journey until they finally reached the bottom of the cliff where the fortress stood, facing the western sea. The high castle with multiple towers was inspiring fear, as expected from the dwelling of the Lord Namo and his wife Vairë, along with the fëar of all the deceased elves awaiting to be reborn.

The clan began discussing who would attend the audience with Valerie and Phoebe. Strangely, none of Valerie's reborn children wanted to even get close to the gates of the fortress, as if they feared that Namo would force them back into his Halls should they get any closer. Thranduil was not interested and in the end, Glorfindel overcame his aversion and decided that he would enter the fortress with his mate and daughter. There was a collective sigh of relief in the group.

The three of them entered the Halls, following a servant who brought them to a massive wooden door in front of which Glorfindel suddenly paled.

"My love, I fear that I must apologize. I cannot… too many memories," he struggled to explain.

The servant observed him with compassion. "No reborn elf was ever able to pass this door. In fact, you made it the furthest inside the castle, which is a tribute to your courage. You can wait here. I assure you that your mate and your daughter are in no danger."

"I will protect her," Phoebe promised to her father. "You can trust me."

"I always trusted you above all others," Glorfindel said to his daughter. "She is...most important to me."

"I know, Ada."

"Why are would talking about me as if I was not here?" Valerie asked. "I am not in danger. I can take care of myself!"

"Of course you can," Phoebe cried, throwing a look that said otherwise to her father. She was lucky that Valerie didn't see the exchanged looks.

"Lord Namo is waiting for you," the servant reminded them. "Please follow me."

The door opened with a sinister creaking, and Valerie started feeling less confident that all would be well. She took a deep breath and entered nevertheless, Phoebe following behind, ready to grab her blades at the first sign of threat. The door shut itself with a loud bang and they both started, realizing they had not said goodbye to Glorfindel.

"Let's go" Phoebe said, seeing a Vala sitting on a throne at the end of the vast room. There were beautiful, ornate marble columns supporting the ceiling, illuminated by the sun coming through the tall windows. They could hear the sounds of the nearby sea, calming yet disturbing since it was the only noise in the immense hall. The atmosphere was cold, heavy with sadness, although there was no one but the Vala with them in the room.

"Is that fog?" Valerie whispered to her daughter. This room was creepy, and if she did not think she would be hearing about her son Adam, she would have turned around and run back to Glorfindel.

"I have no idea. I prefer fog to what I think it may be," Phoebe whispered back.

"Ghosts do not exist," Valerie said, hoping her words were true.

Did they really think the Vala would not hear them?

"The concept of ghosts was invented by mortals, who like to give themselves a bit of a thrill," he said coldly. "This… is not ghosts, nor is it fog. These are the souls of the elves who are awaiting their rebirth."

"So they are ghosts," Phoebe replied, not intimidated at all by the living god in front of them.

Valerie put her hands protectively on her belly, looking around, trying to see shapes in this mist all over them. She could see none.

"Queen of Greenwood, you are making your naneth uncomfortable."

"I am sorry, I thought you were the one making her uncomfortable, right, Mom?"

Valerie looked at her daughter as if she had grown a second head, then turned to Lord Namo and curtsied as best as she could in her state.

"My Lord, it is an honor to see you again," she said, knowing how the Valar liked to be addressed. Phoebe would need a few lessons in that regard. Thranduil definitely had rubbed off on her. "I wanted to thank you for the swift sailing of my daughter and granddaughter."

"Yes. We had to send a few reminders to the king of Greenwood, to ensure he would respect his commitment to sail two decades after you."

"I was certain he said one decade," Valerie insisted.

"My child, he had said two decades," Lord Namo replied, obviously satisfied with proving her wrong. _What was it with ellyn and their need to always be right?_ she wondered.

"Never question a Valar," Lord Namo said, proudly yet not unkindly. It was obvious he was allowing her more freedom of speech than usual. Maybe he was still feeling guilty for what the Valar had done to her when she had first arrived in Valinor.

"He is wrong sometimes," the Valier Vairë added as she entered the room by a door hidden behind the throne. "Dear Valerie, we have been waiting for you. I wanted to congratulate you on your pregnancy. May the birth of your child bring you happiness and fulfillment."

"Thank you, my Lady." She shivered, still not feeling comfortable in the light fog.

"Do not be afraid. Close your eyes, and feel the emotions in the room," the Valier demanded.

Both Valerie and Phoebe closed their eyes. Not looking at the mist allowed them to concentrate on their other senses. And some they didn't know they possessed.

"There is great sadness," Valerie said. "So much sadness." How she could feel emotions that were not her own, she didn't know, but they were there, all around her, almost choking her.

"Yes, there is. Looking back at your life, your passing, the life of your loved ones is no easy undertaking. One must reflect on their mistakes, to ensure greater wisdom and a better existence once reborn. Most times, it takes millennia of contemplation. Other times, when the elf died very young, with very little errors on their conscience, the process is much faster."

"We have requested your presence to give you some information about Adam," Lord Namo continued. "He feels he is ready."

"He is?" Phoebe asked, stunned. After all, Adam had died only 109 years before. That was quite fast in elven history. Furthermore, he had not been a quiet little angel. After all, him and his twin sister had been known as the Narautar, merciless killers of orcs. Maybe killing ocs and goblins were not sins in the Valar's book?

"And do you also think he is ready, or do you believe he needs more time?" Valerie inquired, already way ahead of her daughter.

"I have spent much time with him," Lord Namo said fondly. "Such a young fëa, so focused on protecting the elven people. He missed both of you so much. His thoughts were ever with you, all the time."

"Do you deem him ready?" Valerie insisted passionately.

"Yes, he is ready to be reborn. I will allow him to leave my halls."

"When?"

Then, the Valar looked at Valerie's shape. Her eyes followed his gaze, to her stomach.

"I am pregnant with Adam?" she whispered fervently.

"No, you are not," Lady Vairë said gently. "You are carrying an elfling with a new fëa, that your mate and you created. The first true child of his blood."

"If I had not asked Glorfindel to have a child, I would soon get pregnant with Adam." Valerie realized. "He has to keep waiting here because I got pregnant with another child?"

Phoebe grabbed her mother's arm, interrupting this dangerous train of thought. "I am certain that Adam can wait a little longer. He will only be happy to have an additional sibling."

"This child that you have conceived will bring you great joy," Lady Vairë said. "Adam knows that you are expecting a child. He is happy for you," she confirmed.

"Is he here? In this room?" Valerie whispered, looking at the mist around her.

"No, he is not. We would not permit this contact. You will see your son when you are ready to carry him."

"I am ready now!"

"Child, you will not be ready for another few years. Do not deny the attention and love that your unborn child deserves because you want to favor another one."

Stubbornly, Valerie was already preparing her speech to convince Glorfindel to get her pregnant right after the birth of their child. She barely heard the goodbyes of the Valar, and Phoebe pulled her outside of the room.

"Will she listen to us?" the Valier Vairë asked her husband.

"I believe Glorfindel will need much strength not to have to get her pregnant again right away. It would be a shame for this little soul. Did you feel it? It was almost as if she did not want this child anymore. As if she regretted being pregnant."

"It will pass," Vairë replied. "It is the shock of knowing Adam is ready to reborn and that she is not able to carry him right away. Glorfindel will guide her through this. She is still very young after all."

"Yes, barely out of infancy. Maybe if she was a few millennia old, she would not have reacted that way."

"I am not sure. Her character seems pretty set. I will keep an eye on them. I love Glorfindel so much. Sometimes, I miss his presence within our halls."

"So do I. But it is better that way. He is not missing us, that is a certainty."

Outside of the room, Valerie was trying to explain to Glorfindel that Adam wanted to be reborn, but that because she was pregnant, he would have to wait.

"Why did you want this child so early after Galadhon was born?" she asked, her tone accusing.

"You forget that you wanted this child too! You were the one who talked about it almost once a month for the past five years!"

"Well maybe you should have said no! You should have known that Adam would be ready soon!"

"How was I supposed to know that? I am not a Vala!" Glorfindel cried, realizing that Valerie was too upset to think clearly. "It usually takes millennia before a fëa is ready to be released!"

"Regardless of your mistake," she said, dismissing his protest with an insulting hand gesture, "I need to get pregnant again as soon as I give birth to your child."

 _Your child_ , Glorfindel thought bitterly. Within a few moments, their unborn child had become his child. He understood her distress and impatience to have her first son with them as soon as possible. Only this stopped him from lashing out inelegantly at his mate in front of Phoebe. Their daughter looked like she would have preferred to be burning in the fires of Mordor rather than standing with them and witnessing this distressing conversation.

"We will discuss this quietly once we are back home," he said stiffly, eying Phoebe who was watching him with compassion. She understood their situation better than anyone else, since it was her twin brother they were arguing about. The ride back to Valmar was extremely tense between her parents.

OoOoO

Over the next two months, Valerie grew more and more impatient, barely acknowledging her child to be born if not to mention that she wanted to get pregnant again as soon as the birth took place. No discussion with her mate, her daughters or her sons made her change her mind. Glorfindel stopped trying to convince her to wait a few years and give their unborn child the chance to grow up with their full naneth's attention. Having two elflings within one year was unheard of in Valinor.

There was tension in their household, growing each day with the birth fast approaching. Lord Elrond had been her healer during the pregnancy, and he arrived a week before the expected date of the birth. Glorfindel had written him about the situation they found themselves in, but it was worse than he had expected. After discussing with Valerie for a few hours, he decided to spend time with his old friend.

"This is not the Valerie I know," Glorfindel whispered, taking a sip of his wine. "All she talks about is Adam, how his fëa is waiting in Mandos, how excited she is that she will hold him in her arms soon. She does not seem thrilled with the idea of holding the child she is carrying now!"

"No one can really understand what is going on in her mind. My dear Celebrian was destroyed upon hearing that Arwen had decided to marry Estel and had chosen the Gift of Men. I had been heartbroken, but it was nothing compared to her grief. She would do absolutely anything to have her daughter back. This is obviously how Valerie feels, he is just there, so very close, yet out of her reach. It must be driving her crazy. You remember how Adam's passing impacted Valerie?"

"How could I forget that day? It has been on my mind, every single day, every single hour, in the past 109 years. Her screams, her tears, yet how strong she was when Phoebe was unable to recover…"

"She is strong. You must be patient with her."

"Should I grant her wish to get pregnant again right away? Condemn our unborn child to neglect and unhappiness?"

"Do not over-dramatize the situation, mellon nin. Your mate has been selected by the Valar to be the naneth of nine children, and the reason behind their decision is her outstanding capacity to love. She loves fiercely and unconditionally, even children who are not truly her own. Estel loved her, and Amroth has taken quite a liking to her already. She may believe that only Adam counts at the moment, but as soon as she has your child in her arms, she will love and protect that elfling like a lioness. She is able to love two elflings all at once, and I cannot believe you doubt that."

"I pray the Valar that you are right," Glorfindel sighed.

"Please accept my apologies for the interruption," Nimrodel said from the door, "but I thought you would like to know that Naneth's labor has started an hour ago. Phoebe and Tialyn are with her, all is well but it seems that her labor will go fairly fast. We will let you know when your help is required."

The two ellyn looked at each other after Nimrodel was gone.

"Am I even going to be excluded from the birth room?" Glorfindel asked bitterly.

"You are one of the few exceptions when it comes to attending the birth of your children. It is not part of our traditions."

"But it is part of the traditions in Valerie's world, and when I could, I attended the birth of our children."

"Then she will call you at some point, _mellon nin_ , do not doubt that."

* * *

Aralinn: Speaking of Oropher's family – I couldn't have a nice Lithil in any version! Oropher chose Valerie in the end, as he should since Lithil was a bad mother in his first life…

Maggie: Adam is ready to make a reappearance – but Valerie is not… She cannot forgive herself to make him wait longer. The timing of her pregnancy is wrong, but how could she have known?

Shetan20: thank you!

Paperlanterns86: Yes, we are approaching the final chapters... just 2 more left. The happy finale is coming, this Valerie will end up happy like the others!

Princessnera: well, their family had to go through some more drama before the end of the story. But they will reconcile soon, and welcome a new addition to the family...


	31. Chapter 31 - Elweth

_Chapter 30 ended with:_

" _You are one of the few exceptions when it comes to attending the birth of your children. It is not part of our traditions."_

" _But it is part of the traditions in Valerie's world, and when I could, I attended the birth of our children."_

" _Then she will call you at some point,_ _mellon nin_ _, do not doubt that."_

 **Chapter 31 - Elweth**

There was long, torturing pain, but since she had felt that kind of suffering many times before, she was not scared or impatient. She knew the birthing process took time, and she was ready to wait a few more hours before her reunion with Adam could be planned.

Around her, Tialyn, Phoebe and Nimrodel were silent, watching her warily as if there was something strange happening on in the room. She could imagine what they all thought. They believed she was heartless. She thought she was misunderstood. She would have liked to see any of them under the same circumstances, see how they would have reacted.

She turned her eyes to the window to watch the sunset during a particularly hard contraction. Why was Glorfindel not there? Could he not feel how she wanted him in the room? Did she really have to send him an invitation? It was his child being born after all!

"I think we should send for Lord Elrond," Phoebe said to the others. "The contractions are strong now, and very close."

"Can you..." Valerie whispered tentatively.

"What do you want, Mother? Is there something you would like?"

"Can you ask your father if… if maybe he would like to join us too?" Valerie panted, trying hard not to cry out in pain.

"I will ask him as well," Phoebe promised.

She reappeared a few moments later, the two ellyn behind her, Elrond impassive while Glorfindel had a relieved and guarded expression all at once. The latter sat down beside Valerie on her bed while the former stood above her, touching her stomach as she had a contraction. He examined her and declared her ready to push when she wanted.

Shortly after, a new daughter was born, a delicate, blonde elleth with the dark blue eyes of newborns that could turn in just any color in the following months. She didn't cry or whine, she simply observed her adar with fascination while he held her against his chest.

"She is a little miracle, thank you," Glorfindel said to Valerie, giving her a tender kiss on the forehead. He stood with his precious charge wrapped in a soft blanket, and he was about to leave the room when Valerie called after him.

"Where are you going with our daughter?"

Glorfindel turned back to look at her. "Is it our daughter now? I thought you had said that she was mine, and mine only. This gives me the right to do as I please with her."

Tialyn tsked disapprovingly, but Nimrodel and Phoebe remained silent, observing their parents worriedly, ready to intervene if necessary.

"Where are you taking my daughter?" Valerie asked threateningly despite her exhaustion.

"I took the liberty of finding a wet-nurse. She is waiting in the sitting room."

"What? Why?"

"It may escape you at the moment, but breast-feeding helps prevent pregnancy, and it was my understanding that you wanted to get pregnant again sooner rather than later. I found a wet-nurse for our child, since all your attention will be going to Adam in the future."

Valerie struggled to sit on the bed, a mix of surprise and fury on her features.

"Give me my daughter now! And send that elleth back home immediately! We will not be requiring her services, ever. She is mine to take care of, and mine only! No other elleth will feed her, am I clear?"

Glorfindel seemed to hesitate, still holding his daughter against his chest as if she needed his protection.

Valerie extended her arms, her eyes expressing all the anger that she was not verbalizing. He slowly walked towards her and carefully put the newborn child into her arms. Immediately, Valerie's expression turned gentle and she started cooing to her daughter.

"It is so nice to finally meet you, sweetie. I am your naneth. What a beautiful little lady you are! What name will we give you?" she asked the elfling. She turned to her mate. "Please sit," she commanded, tapping the side of the bed. "We have a big decision to make." She turned back to her daughter. "A wet-nurse," she mumbled, "your adar is so silly!"

OoOoO

 _8 months later_

Glorfindel never imagined that life could get more peaceful than this. Valinor truly was a land of peace after all, and he was fortunate to enjoy tremendous serenity in his recent family life.

He was observing his mate, who was nursing their daughter Elweth, humming a song that the child seemed to like, her tiny hand caressing her naneth's neck gently with the slow rhythm. Elweth was a sweet elleth, observing the world around her with interest, although she was slightly put out by novelty, preferring the safe arms of her parents and siblings when it came to discovering the world around her. In this, she was more like Mithrellas than Nimrodel. No comparison with Phoebe would probably ever be made, but her warrior sister loved her all the same.

Valerie shifted Elweth's weight in her arms and smiled to Glorfindel. It was now more difficult for her to feed her daughter, since she was more than six months pregnant with Adam and her stomach was now very much in the way. Valerie had initially abandoned the idea of getting pregnant immediately, determined to take care of her sweet Elweth, when they had gotten pregnant again without truly trying. It seemed Lord Namo wanted Adam quickly out of the Halls of Mandos after all.

The news had been welcomed with both bewilderment and immense joy. The entire family and their friends couldn't wait to be reunited with Adam, even those who had been born after his passing or who had been too young to remember him properly.

"Da!"

Glorfindel turned his attention back to his mate and his daughter, who was trying to catch his gaze. Valerie was done feeding her, and he went to pick up Elweth to burp her.

"She no longer needs to be burped, Glorfindel," Valerie reminded him. "She can do it by herself, like a big girl."

"I know," he replied, but he loved pressing their daughter's little body against his chest and gently caress her back.

"Da!" Elweth cried again, and he moved her in his arms to make eye contact. Her little hands went to touch his cheeks, and she laughed, her smile now showing two teeth.

"You are such a beauty," he complimented his daughter.

Valerie stood with difficulty, this pregnancy taking its toll with lack of sleep and nausea still tormenting her, even after six months.

"I do not think I will be able to go to Alqualondë after all. It pains me to make that decision, but I cannot even imagine going one mile away from the house at this point."

"I will stay with you then," he suggested.

"No, it is very important that you are there to welcome them when they arrive."

They had received a missive a few days before announcing the arrival of her sister Allison, with her mate Elrohir and their son Elrinor. Elladan was also with them, which meant that Imladris had been closed for eternity, with spells that would make it invisible to the mortals. Valerie was certain that they would like New Imladris, the realm Lord Elrond had built in Valinor. It was obvious that they would all live in New Imladris, but Valerie didn't mind that Allison and her would be living in different cities. It had been more than two decades that her sister and her had been apart, and by now, Valerie was used to seeing her family only once in a while. There were always visitors in their home, between all their children and their spouses traveling to Valmar regularly. Nimrodel and Gil-galad lived with them permanently. Nimrodel was visiting Amroth as frequently as she could, considering that she was Valerie's main support in taking care of Elweth.

"I do not think Nimrodel was planning to go," Glorfindel said. "Or maybe my naneth could stay with you to help?"

"Maybe," Valerie agreed reluctantly, thinking that she would stay alone in the house without help rather than spend a few weeks with her mother-in-law. Her relationship with Glorfindel's parents was definitely cold. Unfortunately for her, Glorfindel's naneth was a close friend of Lady Lithil, Oropher's first naneth who had been exiled out of Greenwood after she had insulted Valerie. Glorfindel was trying to force a reconciliation, or at least, a warming up of their relationship, but it was beyond Valerie's strength nowadays. For many people in Valinor, she remained an immortal human, nothing more.

"I will ask Nimrodel to stay then," he said a little impatiently, knowing Valerie was not making any efforts to be closer to his parents.

"I apologize, I just cannot...not now," she started.

"My love, I understand, I am the one who should apologize. I should not pressure you into forgiveness, not now when you already have so much to worry about."

Glorfindel picked his battles, and knew that Valerie was exhausted by her pregnancy and the care of their daughter. His own mother had no such excuses. She simply preferred to believe the lies of her friend Lithil rather than Valerie's version of the events. Whatever his mother was telling herself, if Glorfindel had to choose, he would choose his red fury over his own naneth. He knew she would eventually give in, especially after there were two young grandchildren in his home. His mother would not resist the temptation of taking care of infants...

"Na!" Elweth now wanted to get back to her naneth's arms.

"No gorgeous, Ada will change your nappies today, isn't that right, Ada?" Valerie said wickedly.

"Yes, I will. Say goodbye to your nana," he told Elweth, and both of them turned their identical blue eyes in Valerie's direction.

"Bye!" Elweth said, waving her little hand.

"Bye, Sweetie."

Valerie went to sit on her bed, the pillows looking so comfortable. She would lie there for just a few minutes, closing her eyes for a little bit. And then, she would start working on that little dress for Elweth.

Nimrodel found her hours later, still asleep. She arranged the blanket around her mother, whispering to her that she should not worry, that she would stay with her while the rest of the family went to Alqualondë. Nimrodel was truly Valerie best support in these times.

Valerie grabbed her hand and mumbled her gratitude, still half-asleep. Nimrodel took the abandoned little dress and put it aside, making a mental note to go shopping in town for elflings' clothes rather than having her mother do all this sewing. All the seamstresses would compete to make the clothes of the little daughter of the Lord of the Golden Flower.

OoOoO

 _Valmar, Year 25 of the Fourth Age_

 _5 years later_

The sound of little feet running in the hallway leading to her room woke her, before the door was unceremoniously thrown open and two elflings jumped on the bed, both landing on Glorfindel who humphed and bent in two, the wind knocked out of him.

Valerie pulled Adam against her to at least diminish the weight on her mate's chest so he could start breathing again.

"Adam! How many times will I have to tell you to knock and wait until we give you permission before you enter our room?"

"I am sorry, Nana, but it is Thranduil's fault. Really!" he insisted when he saw his naneth was not convinced. "Thranduil said: why do you not go bother your parents rather than your sister and I? And then, he said to Phoebe that we should have been raised to show more respect to royalty."

"Is that so? And what did Phoebe answer?"

"She hit him," he replied gleefully. "And then, I jumped on his stomach and Elweth pulled his hair! Phoebe was laughing so hard!"

"I am sure she was. We will have to deal with a disgruntled Thranduil at breakfast," she told her mate, who was trying to fall back asleep while Elweth was playing with his eyebrows and nose.

It was obvious that he was intending to sleep a little more. She sat in the bed and put on her dressing robe, knowing she would not get any more sleep that day.

"Come on, my little monsters, it is time for breakfast!" She pulled them off the bed and took them out of the room to let Glorfindel sleep a while longer. The children were usually having breakfast in the kitchen before the adults had their first meal of the day in the dining room. There were a lot of people visiting them in Valmar that week, to celebrate Elweth's fifth birthday.

The cook had already prepared their favorite breakfast and they sat and ate while Valerie was discussing with him the menu of that day. They were frequently interrupted by the elflings, who could not seem to get agree about anything.

"Nana, why did Adam get a present if it is my birthday?" Elweth asked her.

"Adam is not getting any present."

"Yes, he did! Gil-galad gave him a training bow! He is too young to get a bow, he is only a four-year old baby!"

"I am not a baby!" Adam cried, insulted to the core. "I am taller than you!"

Valerie apologized to the cook and turned to her children. "Gil-galad gave you a bow? What did Ada say about that?"

"Nothing!" Adam was obviously worried that his naneth would confiscate his new treasure, one that he felt gave him an edge over his slightly older sister.

"Phoebe was not happy," Elweth informed her mother. "She said it was up to her to buy him a bow and start his training. Phoebe is always taking care of Adam more than me," she whined.

"Phoebe loves you very much," Valerie reassured Elweth.

"She loves me more than she loves you!" Adam told her with a vindictive grin.

Valerie sighed, uncertain of how she would survive the next 45 years with her youngest children, who were very close yet always fighting. It was true that Phoebe was spending a lot of time with her reborn twin brother, not that he recalled any of his previous life yet. Valerie made a mental note to ask Phoebe to give her attention equally to her youngest siblings.

"Nimrodel loves me more than she loves you!" Elweth replied triumphantly.

That was not true at all, Nimrodel was very close to both of them since she was actively participating in their upbringing.

Valerie could feel a strong headache coming her way. She asked her children to stop talking and finish their meal, and there was relative silence for about a minute, before Adam and Elweth starting fighting again.

Allison entered the kitchen to get something to drink.

"I still miss coffee," Valerie's sister complained while choosing between the apple and strawberry juices that were available that morning.

"It has been more than 125 years since you had your last coffee," Valerie laughed.

"Aunt Allison, will you tell us more about your world?" Elweth asked.

"Yes, tell us about the cars again!" Adam insisted.

"I will tell you more stories after you finish your meal and that I have checked that knee of yours that you scratched so badly yesterday," she told her nephew.

Allison had very little to do as a healer in Valinor. Back in Imladris, she had spent a lot of time treating the injuries of the warriors and the diseases of the rangers who ventured in the Last Homely House. In the Undying Lands, she was simply taking care of the hurts of elflings and following a rare few pregnancies.

Both sisters had had to find new hobbies, and spent a lot of time riding and reading. Valerie had resumed her archery training, although she rarely practiced since her youngest children were still very demanding.

"Gil-galad bought a bow for Adam," Valerie mentioned.

"I am surprised no one thought about it earlier. Glorfindel, Phoebe and all your sons are eager to train him again to become the warrior he used to be."

"Who used to be a warrior?" Adam asked, too intelligent for his own good, and uncertain if he had understood what his aunt was saying.

Valerie glared at Allison, who blushed shamefully. "No one, little love. When you are finished, both of you should go to your study room, your preceptor should arrive soon."

"We have lessons today?" Elweth cried, outraged. "But it is my birthday!"

"Yes, you are five years old today and at that age, I already knew how to read!" Valerie replied. "Hurry, you do not want to be late for your lessons!"

When the two disgruntled elflings left the room, Valerie smiled to her sister. "You only truly appreciate peace and quiet when you have young children and that they leave the room."

"I do not know how you could have had so many children. I had only one, and it was more than enough!"

"Elrinor was a quiet scholar! I would have taken twenty of him rather than my boisterous bunch! I take it that Elrohir and you are not planning to have other elflings?"

"No! We will wait for Elrinor to give us a grandchild, or for Elladan to finally settle down and start a family."

"Is Elladan seeing anyone?"

"There is an elleth living in Túna, who apparently caught his attention. He mentions her twenty times a day but does not realize it. He thinks he is very subtle about his infatuation."

Valerie snorted. Elrond's sons and subtlety were things that simply did not go together.

"What about you? Is your family over?" Allison asked.

"I think so. Adam is reborn, Glorfindel and I have a blood child, both of them are driving me insane day in, day out. And I suppose that Gil-galad and Nimrodel will eventually give me grandchildren."

"Did Gil-galad meet anyone recently? No one told me about it!"

"No, not yet. He does not seem to be unhappy about it. And poor Nimrodel, she has another 40 years before Amroth will remember her. Since they didn't officially bond and have elflings in their previous life, I would expect they will have one fairly shortly after they bind this time around. Do you think Mithrellas and Legolas have children?"

"When we sailed, they did not have children yet. Legolas and Elessar were constantly away on various expeditions to fight with the Easterlings who had not submitted yet to the Gondor dominion. They were leaving behind Mithrellas and Arwen each time. It is hard to get pregnant when your mate is never at home..."

"I hope she is happy regardless," Valerie said, thinking of her only child who was not in Valinor. She would have been with her family if Legolas had not made this foolish oat to remain with Elessar until his passing.

Knowing what Valerie was thinking, Allison mentioned that Elessar had not aged at all in the two decades she had remained in Middle Earth.

"Who knows, it could be another century before she sails," Valerie sighed. "I know I should not think this, but I am upset that his family lives such long lives. Why did Legolas not think about this before making his oat! Now, I do not even know if I will ever see my daughter again!"

Allison couldn't reassure Valerie that Mithrellas would eventually sail. After all, Elessar could very well live another century. Lord Cirdan had permanently sailed, although some elves had remained in the Grey Havens to build one last ship that would sail within the next ten years. What would Legolas and Mithrellas do if there were no more ships to bring them to Valinor?

Glorfindel entered the kitchen, and when he saw Valerie's expression, he knew what she had been talking about with her sister. Allison nodded when he discreetly asked her to give them some privacy, and she left with her glass of juice to join the others in the dining room.

"We are waiting for you," he said. "Almost everyone is up. I crossed the children as they made their way to the study room. I am not certain their preceptor will achieve anything with them today."

"I know, they were hyperactive this morning. I told him that his task today was not to teach them, but simply to keep them busy while we finalize the arrangements for the celebration tonight."

He gently took her hand and pulled her into his arms. "You should not worry so much about Mithrellas, my love. There is nothing we can do, and worrying will not change a thing. It is early to expect Elessar to pass away, he is still very young for one of his race."

"I know. I do not wish for his death, I do love him so despite how torn I am about the whole situation!"

"And you know what this would mean for Arwen..."

"Yes, our dear Arwen would pass away too," Valerie completed. "I hope she will live as long as possible."

"And so, we will wait for Mithrellas and Legolas for as long as it takes."

"But what if there are no ships anymore?"

"Then Legolas will build one. He has many decades ahead of him to learn the craft. And he will have that dwarf to help him."

"The dwarf? You mean Gimli?"

"Yes. Legolas told Elladan he was planning to bring the dwarf in Valinor."

"Oh dear. That will be strange."

"No stranger than Bilbo and Frodo being here. They made friends here, and are welcomed everywhere they go."

"This is a dwarf we are talking about. Of all people, you should know how the elves do not appreciate the company of dwarves. Legolas is a rare exception."

"Now, I want you to stop thinking of Mithrellas, at least for today. All our family is here to celebrate Elweth's fifth anniversary. It means we will have to be the referees to many discussions and fights, that we will have to play nice with Thranduil and that we will not be able to sleep until dawn."

"Surely the party will be over before dawn!"

"I did not say that the party would last until dawn, did I? No, I meant that once all our guests and family are comfortably tucked in bed, then I will ravish you for a few hours... until dawn."

"My lord! So passionate, even after 125 years of marriage!" she purred in his ear, before licking its tip.

He pushed her against the wall and let his hands travel to her backside. "You are lucky that someone could see us, temptress. This will have to wait until later tonight."

"Are you sure? You have managed to be quick in the past, to our intense satisfaction."

He seemed to hesitate for a second, until the sounds of the conversations in the dining room reached their ears. He gave her a soft slap on her bottom. "I am always the reasonable one. Stop tempting me, I would prefer not to spend the day and evening trying to hide a raging erection."

"It would be a shame if you did not," she grinned, thoroughly caressing his elfhood through his leggings before leaving him high and dry, groaning in the kitchen while she joined their family in the dining room.

The end of the evening could not arrive quickly enough for Glorfindel. He had not spent the entire day with a hard on, but it had been a close call. His vixen had made sure to tempt him frequently during the day, sometimes by showing more skin than was customary for her, other times by caressing his eartips or even his backside when no one was watching. Right now, she was sitting with Elweth, Adam and Amroth, the four of them sharing a huge portion of the birthday cake. While the elflings were savoring the sweet dessert, Valerie was thoroughly licking her spoon while watching him wickedly. He quickly looked around him, thankfully, no one seemed to be looking at her. His gaze went back to his mate. The movement of her tongue on the spoon reminded him of the torturing pleasure he felt when her tongue was caressing his shaft. Oh, the softness, the humidity on the head, the twirling movements that made him want to fill her mouth with his seed... He closed his eyes, feeling that he was getting hard. Again. Valerie would be the death of him.

"These half-elven ellith are not made for the faint of heart," a cold voice said behind him. Some traces of amusement were leaking through Thranduil's tone.

"You never stroke me as a softie, Thranduil, but I can give you advice if you need support on how to survive your marriage with my daughter. Although I am not certain many people would mourn you if your heart was to stop beating."

The Elvenking snorted and sat beside Glorfindel. Valerie's attention was now fully focused on her youngest children and Amroth, listening to their babbling and caressing their silky hair.

"They truly are a prize, are they not?" the king asked, watching Phoebe who joined her mother and siblings. She pulled up Adam from his chair and sat him on her hip, wiping his little face with a clean cloth while Valerie did the same with Elweth. Even with such an age disparity, the resemblance between Adam and Phoebe was striking. Soon, Nimrodel joined them and Amroth took her hand with familiarity.

"How is Phoebe holding up? I know she is grieving the fact that Adam will not realize that they are twins before many decades to come."

"She is, I cannot deny it. It will be a test of patience for her. I told her I had to wait a long time before she realized we were mates. Decades of torture."

"At least, she gets to see him regularly. This is not a chance you had."

"True. Speaking of chances, how do you estimate the odds that Valerie will allow us to bring Adam to Greenwood for a few months?"

"Slim to nonexistent. Valerie will not let him out of her sight. She is terrified he will die again."

"Does she not trust us?"

"In this regard, she does not even trust herself."

"She will have to give him some freedom, Glorfindel. You know this can only end badly if she suffocates him with constant care."

"I know very well what you are describing, Thranduil," Glorfindel replied coldly. "But you have not lost a child. You have no idea how hard it is. I would ask that you mind your own business."

"Glorfindel," the Elvenking said patiently, as if he were talking to an elfling. "You are wrong. I may not have lost a child, but my mate lost a twin. For decades, she woke in the middle of the night, calling his name. You think your daughter is the strongest elleth alive? Do you know that she used to cry like a lost child when she woke from dreams of him? I may not know what losing a child feels like, but through my bond with Phoebe, I know very well how losing a twin feels like. So give me some credit."

"Fine. I apologize."

"Now, about that visit..."

"Forget about it!"

"We would settle for a few weeks then. We would also take Elweth. Imagine this. Valerie and you on the beach in Alqualondë, walking hand in hand, feet in the warm sand, the fresh water caressing your toes with the brush of every wave. Imagine the nights, alone in a quiet inn, no children waking you up at dawn. Can you see it, Glorfindel? Can you imagine all the pleasure you would have, making love without interruption for days?"

"Yes," Glorfindel replied stiffly.

"Then make it happen," Thranduil deadpanned. He stood with a superior air and left his father-in-law alone with his thoughts.

The retired captain of Imladris, now simply the patriarch of the largest family living in Valinor, looked around the garden, where many guests and family were reunited, chatting happily, dancing, drinking and eating.

All his sons were gathered together, admiring the new knives that Tialyn had commissioned for Oropher. One by one, they were trying them and giving their opinion on their performance. It seemed that a debate was raging about which weapons were best, knives or sword, for the tournament organized by the Vala Tulkas. Their wives were sitting nearby, watching them with tender eyes, happy to see their mates so competitive yet so close as a family.

All his adult sons had registered in the tournament without exception, but they had not convinced him to participate. Glorfindel had proven himself time and time again, and he had no competitiveness left in his fëa. He had found his peace. Clearly, participating in the tournament would simply increase the odds of tensions in the family, since he knew he could beat most of them at combat. Although he did not know why they bothered competing, since Phoebe had also announced her participation, and Glorfindel was certain that she would win. Thranduil would gloat for months, the bugger.

Speaking of Thranduil, it was true that a romantic escapade in Alqualondë would be more than welcome. Valerie seemed tired, and for a reason or another, she was upset about Mithrellas' absence nowadays. He knew Thranduil shared the same concern for Legolas. In a rare moment of intimacy between them, helped with an important consumption of wine, both adars had admitted that they would sail back to Middle Earth to drag their children to Valinor if they could. An option both of them would keep in mind for the next decades, until they felt enough time had passed for the couple to have sailed already. They would commission a small ship to Lord Cirdan if necessary.

Would Valerie accept to leave Adam and Elweth with Phoebe for a few weeks in Greenwood? He watched her as mother and daughters, each having one of the children on her hip, were doing the tour of the people in the garden. As far as he could remember, Valerie had always had children with her. She had had nine children, one of which she had carried twice. The Valar had chosen well when they had selected her to become the naneth of all the reborn elves. She was a wonderful mother. An exceptional mate. And she was his. He remembered how torn he had been when he had first met her. He had wanted her for himself so strongly, yet his sense of fairness had won and he had acted as if he were indifferent to her while Haldir and Legolas, her other potential mates, were being approached by Elrond and Galadriel.

So many times, he had been close to simply take her away and bind with her regardless of the other paths that were open to her. In the end, she had chosen her path herself, and had made it impossible for him to refuse to share her bed. She had been carrying his child after this one time, sealing their fate together. Legolas had not been upset at all, but Haldir had lost the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Why are you frowning?" Valerie asked as she sat beside him. She was alone, he assumed Phoebe and Nimrodel would put the elflings to bed. "Your thoughts seem dark." She caressed his face in a tender gesture. "This is a celebration, what could possibly have happened for you to be upset?"

"Nothing, my love. I was thinking of the past." It was her turn to frown. "I was thinking of your arrival, when you had yet to choose a mate," he quickly added, knowing she would have assumed he was thinking of her captivity.

"I made the right choice, didn't I?"

"I would never complain." He pulled her against his side and she put her head in the crook of his neck.

"Legolas is very happy with Mithrellas. I assume you are feeling guilty about Haldir again, am I right?"

"He still has not found a mate."

"Is that your fault now? I would have thought that the Valar were making the decisions about everyone's destiny."

"He wanted you just as much as I did."

"Unrequited love is sad. Maybe we should give him Elweth as compensation. After all, she has a little part of me inside her."

He looked at her, completely shocked by her suggestion, but she was grinning, happy to have gotten a reaction out of him. "Glorfindel, I love you. You are everything to me. It is you that I wanted, and I got exactly what I wanted. I always get what I want, you should know that by now. So instead of feeling guilty about what happened more than a century ago, just blame me. If anyone made a choice back then, that was me. And quite frankly, if we had been in the opposite situation, I am not certain that Haldir would feel guilty about you being alone."

"I do not know what my life would be like. The loneliness had become… unbearable. I would have longed for you for eternity. You are the one for me, no one else would have been a good enough substitute."

She put her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly. "I love you, Glorfindel of the Golden Flower. You are making me the happiest elleth alive, every single day." The chaste kisses became passionate open-mouthed kisses while he pulled her against his chest. They would have continued if not for the catcalls from their sons.

"We can never have a moment of peace," she complained, irritatingly waving off at their grinning family. "I think we should go away for a few days."

Immediately, Glorfindel went from romantic to pragmatic. "Maybe we could," he said hesitantly, making sure that she thought she was organizing the whole thing. The opportunity was unhoped-for. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Thranduil was now intently listening to their conversation. Elven hearing could be as much a curse as it could be a blessing.

"Of course, we will have to bring Elweth and Adam. Although… do you think that Nimrodel could stay with them here, for a few days?"

"Phoebe would probably appreciate the opportunity to babysit them. You know that Nimrodel spends most of her time with Amroth already. We cannot leave her with three elflings under her care."

"You are right. But I cannot imagine that Thranduil would want to stay here, in our home. He is such a tosser."

Glorfindel would have paid a hefty sum to have seen the Elvenking's face at that moment. He resisted the temptation to look, not wanting Valerie to realize that their conversation was not private.

"If you want a true escapade, we could go all the way to Alqualondë. The temperature is warm at that time of the year, you would not have to wear your cloak and be stared at. I know you hate it."

"Maybe. That does not solve the problem of who would take care of the children."

"If Thranduil does not want to stay here, maybe they can bring the children to Greenwood. We could go to Alqualondë and then stop by Greenwood to take them on our way back home."

"But that would mean that we would be leaving in just a few days!"

"Why is that an issue? Did you have any plans for the next few weeks?"

"No, but… I will have no time to get used to the idea of not seeing them for a few weeks!"

"My love, Adam and Elweth will be with us for another 45 years before become adults. It is not like you will be missing an important part of their childhood."

"I know..."

He could tell that she was torn.

"We need the time alone, Valerie. And you are in need of a distraction. I know you are thinking of Mithrellas."

"Every single day, Glorfindel. I miss her. I am so scared."

"At least, we have hope that she will sail eventually. We cannot say the same for Elrond and Celebrian. They know their daughter is never coming back."

"You are right. I should not worry so much. And a distraction would be welcome."

"So, we are going to Alqualondë?"

"Yes. If Phoebe accepts to take Adam and Elweth. I must ask her later tonight."

Glorfindel saw that Thranduil was already on his way to the house, where Phoebe was putting her younger siblings in bed. He would probably take the credit for the achievement. Valerie was right, he was such a tosser!

"I am certain she will accept."

"Your sons are calling for you," she remarked. Turgon and Galadhon were waving at them. "They will probably try again to convince you to participate in the tournament."

"You talk about it as much as they do. Do you want me to participate?"

"I always liked watching you fight. I get to wear your colors on my sleeve, and I keep imagining you naked while you fight."

"You are a shallow elleth," he teased. "Always thinking about sex."

"I never see you complain about that when you keep me awake all night. Go!" she pushed him. "Go see your sons! I will spend time with our daughters-in-law."

* * *

A/N: do not miss the epilogue! It should be published within the week.

Paperlanterns86: she came to her sense, and was willing to wait and exclusively take care of Elweth, but then the Valar decided otherwise. But Valerie is capable of taking of 2 young elflings all at once, although Adam is very active!

Princessnera: and did you like Thranduil and Glorfindel in this chapter? He just spices up any conversation!

Earthdragon: I never imagined that the Valar, especially Namo, would be really empathetic to the situation Valerie found herself in. But her maternal instincts kicked in the moment Elweth was born, and she benefited from the same attention that Adam did later on…

Maggie: I promise that was my last curve ball. The epilogue will only be about happily ever after…


	32. Chapter 32 - Epilogue

_Chapter 31 ended with:_

" _I never see you complain about that when you keep me awake all night. Go!" she pushed him. "Go see your sons! I will spend time with our daughters-in-law."_

 **Chapter 32 - Epilogue**

 _Year 120 of the Fourth Age_

 _95 years later_

The small ship had been build by Lord Cirdan, commissioned by Glorfindel and Thranduil. While most people in Valinor thought that both ellyn had suddenly developed a passion for sailing, their mates and close family had known what the ship's true purpose had been: sailing back to Middle Earth. At this point, most of them had been in Valinor for more than a century, and they had never heard any news from Legolas and Mithrellas. Everyone refused to even contemplate the idea that they were no longer alive. They were hoping that they were simply unable to sail and were waiting for some help. Their adars were ready to go to their rescue.

The plan had been very simple. Adam, Oropher, Phoebe, Thranduil and Glorfindel were to sail back to Middle Earth and discreetly cast anchor near the Bay of Belfalas. From there, journey on foot to Minas Tirith and obtain information on the whereabouts of Legolas and Mithrellas. Once they had found them, force them to go to Valinor, even if King Elessar was still alive, even if it made an oath breaker out of Legolas.

The preparations had been kept secret. No one had attempted to sail from Valinor to Middle Earth since Glorfindel millennia before, after he had been reborn and tasked to protect Elrond's family. This journey had been made under the guidance of the Valar. The one they had been about to make was far from having received the Valar's blessing. They even had been wondering if the Valar had known about the plan, since they had not heard from the gods during the year the preparations had taken. It had seemed unlikely that none of them had realized what the family was about to do.

They had been a few days away from sailing when an envelope had been delivered by a messenger of the Valar. In no uncertain terms, the Vala Ulmo, King of the Sea, had informed them of his extreme displeasure about their plan. He had written that regardless of the fact that it was ill-thought, the plan had been completely unnecessary as Legolas and Mithrellas were already on their way. The missive was ending with a warning that the ship should not go beyond a few miles from the coast or the Vala would send it back to the coasts of Valinor. If the disobedience was serious, he may decide to send their ship crashing on the cliffs. The warning was unequivocal.

"Does he mention the dwarf?" the Elvenking had asked Glorfindel.

"No, he does not."

"Maybe my son will spare us this folly. Sailing with a dwarf! Only a simpleton would defile Valinor in such a way."

"Thranduil, we must focus on the fact that our beloved ones are coming back home as we have wished it for more than a century," Phoebe had said in a rare moment of diplomacy. She had avoided mentioning that said simpleton was his own son.

"I am so relieved to know that they have sailed," Valerie had said. "However… that means that Estel passed away. He was part of our family for a little while. He was raised with you all. I hope he had a happy life and a peaceful passing. He deserved it."

"Arwen is probably gone too by now," Glorfindel had added somberly. Valerie and him had hugged for a long time, trying to cope with the mixed emotions of what the sailing of Mithrellas and Legolas meant.

And so, the family had reunited that afternoon once again and for the last time on the quay of Alqualondë. Even if only close family had been allowed to join, it was an important group of people waiting for the ship to finally arrive.

King Amroth was trying to calm his queen Nimrodel, who was very nervous now that her reborn twin sister was about to appear back in her life. They had been friends in their first lives, but had become even closer after spending their entire second childhood and early adulthood as twin sisters. Nimrodel had missed Mithrellas dreadfully, and only her family and her second chance at love had distracted her from this melancholy. As a reborn elfling, Amroth had spent a lot of time with Nimrodel and had quickly developed a fascination for her. It had quickly morphed into infatuation as a teenager, until one day, at 48 years old, he had recovered all his memories at once. Waiting the customary fiftieth birthday had been agony, but this time around, the king had not taken a chance and had asked Nimrodel to bind with him on his birthday. Almost all the Lothlorien elves had attended the celebrations, which had lasted more than a week in the house of the Golden Flower clan.

Beside the royal couple, the newly bonded Elweth and Haldir were quietly talking, still in the happy bubble that every recently mated couple was living in. Strangely, they had only met a few years before. Glorfindel had explained this by Haldir's reluctance to go anywhere near their family, since he had still been disgruntled by the fact that Glorfindel had snatched Valerie away before he had had a real chance. They had finally met when Galadhon had brought his younger sister during one of his visits to Celeborn and Galadriel. Haldir had been smitten with the young elleth from the moment he had seen her. They had never been apart since then. And as Valerie had predicted almost a century before, Glorfindel's guilt had disappeared the moment the couple had been wed. Haldir had finally made peace with the entire family and had been welcome in it with open arms, if not without badgering from his irritating and numerous brothers-in-law.

Adam was standing beside Phoebe, both of them trying not to smirk at the Elvenking, who was valiantly putting up a cold mask to hide his emotions in complete turmoil. Oropher and Tialyn were hand in hand with Aranel, who was impatient to see her half-brother Legolas. Standing beside them, uncomfortable but grateful for the acceptance, was Bereth, Legolas' naneth. She was not a friend of the family by any stretch of the imagination, but over the decades, Phoebe had extended a hand to Thranduil's first wife, knowing that Legolas would be torn between his mother and the real fëa-mate of his adar. There was one elleth who had never been part of any reconciliation effort - Lithil, Oropher's first naneth. He had once declared that she was no longer his mother, and he had held true to this declaration. Although Valerie felt some guilt about the state of affairs, she was selfish enough to enjoy the peacefulness his decision brought her and the family.

Turgon and Elenwë, Galadhon and Malrin, Gil-galad and his betrothed were at the back of the group with Allison and Elrohir, who had made the journey from New Imladris. Even Elladan and his mate had joined them, the twin remembering how he had liked the sweet Mithrellas as she was growing up. Elladan had bonded with his mate after spending years as her lover, visiting her in Túna regularly until he had realized that he was practically living with her in her home. Elrohir had not reacted well when his brother had announced his decision to leave New Imladris to live in Túna, but he had seen reason when realizing that his brother was entitled to love just as much as he had with Allison for many decades.

Gil-galad and Adam had spent many decades as joyful single ellyn, meeting ellith all over Valinor and leaving many broken hearts behind them, until the High King had met an elleth who had outright rejected his advances. Making her fall in love with him had been an everyday goal for many years, until she had actually deemed the change in his ways to be permanent. Only then had she accepted his proposal to bind with him. The family really loved Vanya, and sincerely hoped that Adam would eventually meet an elleth that would make him settle down too. Adam was not interested at all in changing his lifestyle, and provided the family and Valinor with plenty of gossip material. Valerie and Glorfindel only wanted his happiness, and were supportive of him in all his decisions.

At the front of the group, Valerie was standing with Glorfindel, once again trying to see an arriving ship that everyone could already see but herself, Phoebe and Adam. It finally entered the port, a small ship that was more like a tiny boat, barely big enough to contain three people, four at the most.

"They crossed the sea on that flimsy boat?" Valerie whispered furiously to her mate. "If it had sunk, I would have killed Legolas in the most painful of manners."

"The water in his lungs would have taken care of that for you," Adam whispered from behind. "Maybe not as painfully as you wish, but the end game would have been the same."

The small ship finally docked and Legolas jumped on the quay, immediately turning to help Mithrellas off the boat.

"Nana!" the elleth cried, running into the open arms of her second mother. Nimrodel pushed her mate and siblings away, and hugged her sister and mother, the three of them crying and murmuring sweet nothings to each other while Legolas was being welcomed by the rest of the family. The reunion was interrupted by a loud throat clearing, from a somewhat lower standpoint.

"Well well, it seems that a royal simpleton has defiled the sacred Valinor after all!" Adam said out loud. "Are you the famous Lord Gimli, Master Dwarf?"

"Yes, I am," the dwarf lord replied. "Red hair, green wicked eyes, fully armed despite the peaceful land, you must be the male version of the Queen of Greenwood!"

"I am! It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Phoebe told me you are deadly with your axe. I am ready to show you that my sword is unbeatable."

"You are on!" the dwarf replied with his thundering voice. "I will show you that nothing defeats a dwarfish axe. And right after I am done teaching you how to fight, I will take down that sister of yours!"

"Oh Gimli, I do not believe that you remember who you are talking about!" Phoebe replied charmingly. "Do you know who keeps winning the tournaments organized by the Vala Tulkas? It is always either Adam or myself."

"Darling, you forget that your adar has won quite a few times," the Elvenking chided in with his sweetest voice. "In fact, if my memory serves me well, most of your winnings took place when Glorfindel was not participating in the tournaments."

"It is a privilege to see you defending my honor," Glorfindel discreetly whispered to the king.

"I am always at the service of damsels in distress," Thranduil replied just as softly, a wicked light in his eyes.

"I can see that my father is as pleasant as he used to be," Legolas told Phoebe. "Believe it or not, I missed that side of him."

"Strangely, I love him that way too," she replied to her stepson. "Mother!" she cried, turning to Valerie, "do you think we will soon be able to welcome Mithrellas, maybe give her a quick hug, exchange a few words with her? Or will you monopolize her attention until next week?"

Mithrellas laughed through her tears. "I missed you all so much!" she said, moving on to her father and her siblings, giving them hugs and kisses. "The last few decades have been so hard! We were the only elves left in Middle Earth, and the people of Gondor were really getting suspicious of us. Even Elessar and Arwen were aging and yet, we remained young looking. Gimli was such a comfort during those days, he was the only one who understood how we felt, who could share the guilt that infiltrated our hearts when seeing our friends at the dusk of their lives. I hope you will welcome him as part of our family. This is how Legolas and I consider him. He is like a brother."

"Lovely," Thranduil whispered, yet loud enough for the dwarf to hear. "I will certainly not consider him as my son." Phoebe pinched him.

"Adam! You were reborn!" Mithrellas cried, holding her older brother who had died while she was still a young elfling. Her memories of him had been vague, but now that he was a grown ellon again, standing in front of her, all her memories came rushing back. He had never played very much with her and Nimrodel when they were elflings, Phoebe had been much closer to them. He had been that faraway hero, courageously fighting foes with their adar. Getting his attention, even for just a few moments, had been like getting a wonderful gift.

"Sweet-pea!" he called her by her childhood name, returning the hug. "You have grown into a beautiful elleth! I am hoping that your character is much sweeter than the other charming ladies of this family. Speaking of intolerable harpies, let me introduce you to our younger sister, Elweth."

"I am one year older than you," Elweth mentioned.

"You forget the technical matter of these 18 years I lived back in Middle Earth. It still makes me 17 years older than you are."

"Adar," Mithrellas said, delighted, "you have a daughter of your own!" She eyed the younger elleth, who looked so much like Glorfindel that his fatherhood could never be doubted.

"I have four daughters, all of them mine fully and completely," Glorfindel reminded her. Through the decades, he had always been firm about that. All his children were equally his, regardless of their origin. This fairness had been an anchor for them all throughout their lives.

"You know what I mean, Ada!" Mithrellas replied, rolling her eyes. "Hello, Elweth! I am so glad to have an additional sister!"

"Thank you," Elweth said a little shyly. "Let me introduce you to my mate, Haldir."

"I know Haldir, we have met frequently in Middle Earth. Marchwarden, I can see that you have a particular taste for the ellith of this family."

"Mithrellas!" Valerie cried.

"I am afraid that her manners have appallingly worsened since she has been in constant contact with Gimli and I for more than a century," Legolas apologized with a grin.

"We will make do," Glorfindel replied. "We are grateful that you have brought us back our daughter. I will not deny that we have doubted the likelihood of your return for many decades. In fact, we were about to sail to Middle Earth when we were informed of your imminent arrival."

"Sail to Middle Earth? Whatever for?"

"To bring you back."

"That was a nice thought. Completely unnecessary, but thoughtful regardless."

"Estel has passed away?" Glorfindel needed the confirmation to have closure.

"He did. He died of old age. His son Eldarion now rules over Gondor. He will be a great king, although we could see that he will not be as long lived as his father. He was aging faster."

"What about Arwen?"

"After his passing, she left Minas Tirith and journeyed to Lothlorien. She wanted to fade in the woods of Lothlorien, where she peacefully lived with her grandparents for decades. She gave me letters. For her parents and grandparents, for her brothers. There is one for you, Valerie. All this time, she was worried about you. She was hoping that you had recovered from your… ordeal."

"I did. As soon as I arrived here, the Valar took care of me. I have been myself completely since then. We had Elweth and then a year later, Adam was reborn. I have the favor of the Valar, Legolas. They gave me countless blessings."

"You deserve each of them," Legolas replied. "After all you did for your family, and what you did for Middle Earth."

"I just love my children. Nothing more than that. It was hardly an effort!"

"Then I guess only you had such an ability to love. Thank you, on behalf of everyone."

Legolas went back to his adar and grandparents while his mate was now being introduced to the mates of her brothers Turgon, Galadhon and Gil-galad.

Glorfindel took Valerie in his arms. "Our family is now reunited. Everyone is here, with us forever. I do not want you to worry ever again. Nothing unfortunate can happen to us."

"I will try not to worry, I promise. But with such children, you must admit that it is more than likely that they will cause trouble everywhere they go, hence make us worry."

"Then I will have to endeavor to distract you frequently. What about another romantic escape? We could stay a few weeks here in Alqualondë."

"Under normal circumstances, I would never say no to that. But I would like to spend time with Mithrellas, reconnect with her properly. She could visit us in Valmar, or we could go to Greenwood if this is where they are planning to stay for the next few weeks. Perhaps we can come back here in a few months?"

"That would be perfect. It will give me plenty of time to terrorize Haldir into submission."

"Glorfindel, you are channeling Thranduil at the moment. I am not certain I like that sarcastic version of you," Valerie laughed. "I much prefer my serious, caring mate. The one who seduced me without even trying back in Imladris. I remember the first time I saw you, in Elrond's office, you were the only one who seemed to care about me while I was begging them to send me back home in my rudimentary Sindarin."

"I remember that short, indecent dress of yours. I wanted you to be mine the first moment I saw you. And I made you mine," he whispered in her ear.

"And so are you. Mine until the end of days." She kissed his lips sweetly. "That seems like an awful lot of time, when I think about it."

"Yet, it does not seem enough for me."

"Is there a reason why we are still standing on this quay instead of being comfortably installed at the inn? Are we planning to spend the night here?" Gil-galad asked around.

People gathered around him, slowly making their way to the inn where the entire family was staying for a few days. Valerie and Glorfindel followed them at a slower pace, walking leisurely hand in hand.

"Come on, Mom and Ada, you can walk faster than this!" Phoebe impatiently shouted from the front of the group.

"You would think that she is still five years old," Valerie whispered.

"Ada is getting quite old, almost like a fossil," Turgon added loudly. "But the slowness is inexcusable from Nana. She is one of the youngest in this family."

"They are very selfish and capricious, the lot of them," Glorfindel whispered back.

"Yes, they are. And they entertain you."

"They do! I want to thank you."

"What for?"

"For this life you gave me, when you manipulated me into joining you in your room that night in Imladris."

"I am glad you were weak that night," she replied with a wicked smile. "Thank you for loving me, protecting me, and trying your hardest to understand me. And most of all, thank you for loving them all so much."

"You know I have cherished them from the moment you put them in my arms after their birth. Being their real adar is completely irrelevant for me."

"I love you."

"And I love you more."

They stopped to passionately kiss each other, Glorfindel crushing her against his chest.

"Hey! Will we have to drag you to the inn? We are hungry!" It was Gil-galad this time.

"Looks like they need a room urgently. We may have to wait a little before we have dinner." This comment could only come from Phoebe.

Valerie and Glorfindel stared reverently at each other, then kissed more chastely before running like elflings to catch up with their family. After all the duties they had accomplished and the adversity they had faced, they had finally earned eternal peace in the Undying Lands. As much peace as their family would allow, but for Valerie and Glorfindel, it was their happily ever after.

* * *

A/N: Well, this is it, the end of the Glorfindel version. I want to thank all the readers who left me reviews throughout the story, your comments and encouragements were really appreciated. If you haven't left me one yet, please take a minute to let me know what you liked!

Aralinn: thank you for all your reviews! It was great to hear your comments at every step of the way!

Princessnera: I hope you were happy with this Glorfindel story – they are so rare on the site.

Paperlanterns86: Gil-galad and Haldir both got their happy ending too – only Adam is still single, and he likes it that way. If you remember, he actually ended up with Lady Nienna in the Haldir version. I like to think he would have ended up with her again.

Maggie: for now, I will concentrate on the Thranduil ficlets, I don't have another idea for a different story yet. I never know when an idea will pop up in my head!

Glassary: I will try to meet your expectations about Thranduil in the ficlets! There will be so much more opportunities to see him be is pleasant self! I believe Thranduil and Phoebe are much more peaceful since they arrived in Valinor, they would never kill anyone, that's certain – but they remain sarcastic and unpleasant when something doesn't go their way… That's how people like them.

Vanime: I never thought of an Elrond version. I must admit that I think that with the Thranduil version, I will have explored all the variations that I can come up with. I have to get inspired by something different next time I write a story. Thank you so much for reviewing!

Laurelin: Haldir was such a passionate ellon, while Glorfindel was more of a gentleman. Legolas was somewhere in the happy middle. I cannot decide which one I personally prefer, I will wait to see how Thranduil turns out as I get inspired writing before I decide!

Reonoru: Yes, it wasn't Elrond's greatest moment. But everything will turn out all right, you will see!


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